October 29th Devotion

Choosing God’s Peace Over Problems
By Keri Eichberger

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

This is a bit embarrassing to admit, but just when I thought my stress couldn’t get much worse, I recently became convinced I was pregnant. Listen, no disrespect to those currently praying for this incredible blessing (by the way, I’d love to join you in prayer), because born and unborn babies are absolute gifts. And if that were God’s will for me, I would surely find my way to embrace it with praise. But the honest truth is, “much worse” was definitely what I felt in the face of that possibility last week. I mean, I’ll turn 45 next month, and many days, it seems I can hardly handle the five kids God gifted me. Plus, just before this possibility arose, we’d unexpectedly found ourselves drowning in a huge financial hole. I was too tired, too old, too inadequate, too broke—so I thought. Not to mention, this was not part of my peaceful future plan. How in the world would I? I wondered.

I’ll tell you one thing I was convinced of—well, two, actually. One: What felt like a heavy inescapable pit last week, seemed super tolerable now, considering what I thought was literally growing within. And two: I needed God‘s peace and relief big time, regardless.

I now know that I’m not actually pregnant—and if I were, we’d be having quite a different chat about the miracles of God and his divine ability to define medical odds (if you know what I mean). But when I was so sure, days upon days, without a shadow of a doubt, that I was going to be adding a sixth child via a geriatric pregnancy, I became consumed with all the taxing implications. Then, laser soul-focused on the emotional and spiritual adjustments I needed to make to prepare if this was to be God’s plan. And here is where I landed in the midst of my worries, fears, and troubled heart.

I have two choices every day—every moment, really—in the face of the big unknowns of today and tomorrow. I can either allow the swirling scary thoughts to overwhelm me with worry and anxiety, OR I can hand them over to the One who actually has control of all the outcomes anyway. And here’s the kicker, only one of those choices can give me what I really want. Peace.

So, I chose peace.
How about you? Is there something that doesn’t seem to be going quite as you had planned? And is it disrupting your peace? Do you feel troubled, fearful even?

Oh boy, was I feeling that big time when me and my apparently pre-menopausal hormones had to take consecutive days of pregnancy tests last week. The thing is, we can’t ultimately control a lick of what’s in store. And trust me, there’s going to be some tough stuff ahead, even if most of your plans do align with your hopes and expectations. But we can still have peace. And peace is most certainly part of God’s plan. Always.

Better yet, we can have God’s peace. Which is so much better, infinitely more rich, than what the world will offer in a variety of fleeting fixes and temporary comforts. In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you.” He has left it, deposited it, in us, as his followers. To freely tap into, at any time via our advocate, the Holy Spirit. Just like he left it in the disciples before he completed his earthly mission.

Friend, you and I have the Lord‘s peace. We just have to choose it. And I hope you’ll choose it too.

Intersecting Faith & Life:
Take a moment with me, pause, and consider what’s concerning you. What is troubling your heart and consuming the thoughts of your soul? Now, give it to God. Surrender it. Release it.

In doing this, you’re choosing more peace. And I know that’s what we both want. So, today, release and choose peace when you’re worried about what might happen. Release and choose God’s peace still when what you didn’t want does happen. Because sometimes his plans do look different than ours. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Because remember, his plan is always best. He knows and sees what you don’t. And no matter what he has deposited in you, he always offers, and you can always have his peace.