All is Calm
24/01/21
In the midst of another lockdown, with the end of this pandemic still many months away, our natural reaction is probably a bit of panic. But while that’s a natural reaction, we can have a different spiritual reaction.
There are many stories of people who were scared in the Bible – Elijah was being chased by Ahab and Jezebel but he turned to God for some calm. God wasn’t in the loud, showy places; he was a quiet whisper that encouraged Elijah. Jesus took himself off for some peaceful prayer in the garden of Gethsemane to give him some much-needed calm to face the next events.
The calm that God offers is reinforced by Philippians 4:4-7. It reminds us that when tensions build up, prayer is a release. So too is rejoicing; whilst dancing in the streets isn’t appropriate just now, smiling at others (or even just to ourselves) is a sure way to spread some joy. There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Use your smile to change the world; don’t let the world change your smile.” Mother Teresa took this further when she said, “Peace begins with a smile.” That’s peace for us as much as spreading joy to others. When all around us seems to be out of our control, we can at least smile.
Our rejoicing helps us choose to place our confidence in God. With God as our central focal point, our personal stress can be reduced. This is our choice to make.
This coming week, let’s choose to be calmer through three practical ways: 1. Pray to God to give us calm. 2. Focus our thoughts on God. Try having some silence after your prayer - He will become bigger and our problems become smaller. 3. Rejoice by smiling a bit more.
We aren’t alone in this stressful time; God and Jesus are here with us to help us through.
RC
There are many stories of people who were scared in the Bible – Elijah was being chased by Ahab and Jezebel but he turned to God for some calm. God wasn’t in the loud, showy places; he was a quiet whisper that encouraged Elijah. Jesus took himself off for some peaceful prayer in the garden of Gethsemane to give him some much-needed calm to face the next events.
The calm that God offers is reinforced by Philippians 4:4-7. It reminds us that when tensions build up, prayer is a release. So too is rejoicing; whilst dancing in the streets isn’t appropriate just now, smiling at others (or even just to ourselves) is a sure way to spread some joy. There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Use your smile to change the world; don’t let the world change your smile.” Mother Teresa took this further when she said, “Peace begins with a smile.” That’s peace for us as much as spreading joy to others. When all around us seems to be out of our control, we can at least smile.
Our rejoicing helps us choose to place our confidence in God. With God as our central focal point, our personal stress can be reduced. This is our choice to make.
This coming week, let’s choose to be calmer through three practical ways: 1. Pray to God to give us calm. 2. Focus our thoughts on God. Try having some silence after your prayer - He will become bigger and our problems become smaller. 3. Rejoice by smiling a bit more.
We aren’t alone in this stressful time; God and Jesus are here with us to help us through.
RC
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