Source of Peace - 3/28/2010

Psalm 85:8-9, "I will listen to God the Lord. He has ordered peace for those who worship Him. Don't let them go back to foolishness. God will soon save those who respect Him, and His glory will be seen in our land" (NCV).

We have a lot of things to listen to in our culture; it's almost impossible to shut out the noise. We have the obvious distractions like the television, movies, radio, and the internet. We also have teachers and professors, coworkers, friends, and family members all contributing to what we hear and agree with. What do you listen to? How do you sift through the mountains of conflicting opinions, well-meaning and sometimes misguided advice?

"I will listen to God the Lord." We may not be able to control what we hear. But we have total control over who we listen to. I like how firm and direct this statement is. Almost as if to say, "I will measure everything I hear based on the one constant truth to have withstood the test of time: God the Lord."

The benefit of that decision is that "He has ordered peace for those who worship Him." This is such an incredible statement! What has God ordered that has not come true? By His very words everything we know came into existence. Worship him and experience His peace - the peace that is often referred to as "the peace that passes all understanding."

I think this is one aspect of Christianity that a non-believer cannot fully grasp. They don't realize that the peace God offers is real and makes absolutely no sense and cannot be attributed to "mind over matter." When faced with uncertainty, you feel this peace. When you face conflict, you feel this peace. When you lose a loved one, you feel this peace. It is the vivid awareness that all things are in His hands, and regardless of our circumstances, "we know that in everything God works for the good of those who love Him." If you worship Him!

That's the catch, if there is one - you have to worship Him. Because it's easy to "go back to foolishness," as the verse states. Or as Solomon put it, "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." Many people erroneously believe that once you are saved, you are no longer tempted and have somehow risen above all human imperfections - even though we are still imperfect. As long as we are in the flesh, we will have temptations! But according to scripture, He makes all things new! Upon salvation, our spirits are new and bound for His presence. When we receive our heavenly bodies, our inward spirit and outward body will finally be matched in pefection.

So while we are here, we can rest on the last line of this verse, "God will soon save those who respect Him, and His glory will be seen in our land." If you respect Him, it will be obvious in your life, by your actions. If this describes you, when will He save you? SOON! And through your respect for Him and how obviously you are quickly saved from trouble, He will be glorified. His glory will be seen in our land because of your respect for Him! That is amazing to me.

Lord Jesus, may your glory be seen in my life, that you may receive full credit for the awesome works you've completed in my life. Amen.

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