Having peace doesn't mean that there's no trouble...

When Jesus was in a boat with his disciples and there was a storm all around them, he was sleeping.  How could he be asleep when his disciples were so alarmed about the dangers of the storm that was raging all around them?  Peace comes from within, not from without.  How do you get it?  It's not a thing you get from practice.  It comes from a searching and a longing to know our creator.  It comes from a desire to understand, at least in part, the depth, and height, and length, and width of God's love for us.  It means that when strong winds blow, and they will,- you will stand with the confidence that you won't fall.  It means that when storm clouds roll into your life, and the storms circle your home and your mind, you will be able to fall asleep and rise refreshed just as our Lord did in the boat in the middle of the storm.  You will hear his voice saying, "Peace, be still".  You will know that help is on the way and is preparing a way out for you.  Even creatures of the air have a way of escape.  The birds can fly out of reach of the cat.  A racoon can climb a tree to escape a dog.  A fish can hide in the crevice of an undersea rock.  Some creatures can even camouflage themselves. Sometimes being hidden, or being able to get away can make us feel safe.  Through that feeling of safety comes trust.  Through trust comes faith. 
     We, who were created in His image, can fall on our knees and bow our heads in prayer. This is our safety net. We can go to our father and ask for help in our time of need.  Our camouflage is the blood of Christ.  Our shield, our crevice in the rock, is faith.  Our sword is the word of God.  Why would we need a sword?  Sometimes in our prayer time, the Lord gives us a job to do.  Moses led more than a million people into the promised land.  Joshua conquered the city of Jericho. Esther saved her people.  Harriet Tubman led many enslaved people to freedom.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought for a woman's right to vote.  Dr. Martin Luther King changed a nation and forced it to come to terms with the word "equality" which was written in its constitution.  All of these great leaders were fighters who prayed and asked God for strength, wisdom and courage.  He supplied them with what they needed to accomplish their task.  The peace that they felt gave them strength to do what they needed to do.  Sometimes it meant fighting a kind of battle.  Sometimes it meant standing still.  We are well equipped.  We can know peace.  We will weather our storms.
     Peace is inside us.  Sometimes it is like a dormant seed that is buried and waiting for spring to come to life.  One word from us to the Father will bring that spring.  It will cause growth.  What is that word?  HELP. To understand that there are some things that are impossible with man because they are out of our range of capabilities, is natural. But NOTHING is impossible with God.  Nothing is outside His range of capabilities.  He has created everything.  He is able to deliver you from the fowler's trap.  He has already provided a way out for you.  Put your troubles in the hand of the Father, then place your whole self - spirit, body, and soul into his capable Hands.  Read His word.  It will comfort you.  You can then know peace.  Yes, it's easier to say than to do, but it can be done.  Lay your burdens down.  Walk away from them.  Put your hand and your life in the Father's hand.  Don't look back.
     Understanding the mind of God is impossible, but knowing that He created us, Cares for us, Protects us, Comforts us and guides us, is enough to let go and trust.  It is the trust that gives us peace.  He loves us because He created us.  He created us because He wanted to love us.  Here we are.  Simply loved by Almighty God.  There is your peace.  A baby trusts his mother and father to take care of his or her needs.  An athlete trusts his coach and trainer to provide help and direction.  A patient trusts the doctor to provide answers and healing.  Passengers trust train engineers, bus drivers and airline pilots to transport them safely to their destination.  Yes, trouble will come, but you can weather the storm.  Trust in God.  Have Faith. Peace -Be Still.

God always knows where the potholes are, and he knows when your cake (blessing) will be done.

Sometimes we feel like we are lost on a road at night, and we don't know when or where to get off.  If we did figure that out, we wouldn't know in which direction to travel.  Soon we discover that God has the road map.  He was making preparations for us.  We just needed to wait for the proper time to go.
      You don't put a baby in a crib until the crib has been put together and tested, right?  You don't put an athlete in a game until he or she has had practice and proven him or herself ready, isn't that right?  You can't (or shouldn't) eat a cake until the timer sounds, notifying us that it's finished baking and is ready to be consumed by the waiting crowd.  Do we enjoy it as much if it isn't completely done?  Well, sometimes we have to remind ourselves that our cake (destination) isn't baked yet.  God is still working on it.  If we haven't moved forward yet, maybe it's because it's not time.  He does things in His own way and in His own time.  He can see to the end of our days.  He knows where the potholes in our paths are.  When we don't wait for Him, we fall in the potholes.
      Many of us who are a little older have fallen into the potholes of life.  We rushed things a little like Abraham's wife Sarah.  She got tired of waiting for God to give her and Abraham a child, so she told Abraham, her husband, to have a child with her servant. Abraham did as he was directed by Sarah and had a son with the servant woman.  God eventually blessed that son, but He told Sarah that Ishmael wasn't the child he had been talking about for the promise.  She had created a rather sticky situation.  God knows what He's doing.  He doesn't need our help.  If we stand around like the children standing around the cake batter as it's being prepared, we soon stick our fingers in it before it's time.  We create a sticky situation.  If we begin down a road without proper directions, we may fall into a pothole.
     When it's time for your blessing.  You'll know it.  You won't be able to avoid it.  Follow the path that God has placed before you, and you won't fall into the potholes.  Wait until it's done, and you won't have sticky fingers.  Your blessing has your name on it.  It's coming.