"Peace Be Still!!" How many times have you heard that phrase? I like to watch the Madea plays and always get a laugh as she echoes those words. It's a phrase that many of us like to quote, both believers and non-believers. All we know is that when the storms of life start raging, we want them to STOP!
You see the bible tells us something like this... the afflictions of the righteous are many but don't lose hope, the Lord, Jehovah Jireh, El Shaddai will deliver us out of all of them. Psalm 34:19. Did you get that? Basically if you are righteous you can expect to have afflictions but you can be confident that you won't stay in that state.
There have been many times I 've looked up towards heaven and thought "c'mon Lord, give me a break". It felt like Hurricane Hugo was centered around my life. Then one day I learned something that was very valuable. Some of the things that we go through have nothing to do with the enemy but are directly from God. Yep, you read it right. You may be thinking but God loves me He would never do me like that. Well, that's exactly why He does it. His word says He chastens who He loves. The NIV has it like this "..because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son." Hebrews 12:6. So just like your mom or dad went and got the switch off the tree (or made you get it) and tore your behind up, He has to get us like that some times. Our parents didn't discipline us because they were mean (although we thought so). They wanted us to be successful in life.
God just wants us to be successful in this race. He wants us to be stable so we are not easily shaken or knocked down when the wind blows. He wants us to be resilient and steadfast. He wants us to be confident in who we are and know whose we are. He wants to make sure His word has taken root within us. So when the wind blows and the rain starts to pour down don't cry, worry, or get your blood pressure up. Don't go raid your refrigerator. Don't stay cooped up in your room in the dark with your phone off the hook or on silent. Instead, look towards the sky and thank God that you are considered to be one of the righteous. What a privilege and honor! Know that eventually the winds will have to cease and the waters will calm. This too shall pass.You will have peace.
Until next time....
Bravo my sista. I like the way the old saints say it, "Trouble don't last always". Job 13:15, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him"; no matter what we go through...God has us. Great post, thank you for being one of the inspirations that encouraged me to blog.
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