Ah, this promise is my favorite! (Wait, didn't I say that once or twice before?"
I know what it is like to have "peace that surpasses understanding" and I know what it is like not to have it, and let me tell you I prefer peace!!! The difference between having peace and not having it is simple: "In everything by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God." Then istead of anxiety I have peace, and no pill or bottle can substitute it!
I love how Dr. Charles Stanley says "we stand tallest and strongest on our knees."
I like Dr. Charles's saying. And it's so true, too!
This really is a wonderful promise, isn't it?
I experienced such awful anxiety before I knew Jesus as my savior. After all, that was one of his purposes - to save me from anxiety. About the time we lost everything to our fire in Gt. Falls, things just seemed impossible. Everything was falling apart. We never had enough money. We worked so hard to get enough. Dad worked 3 jobs, and I worked at the spa 3 days a week (10 - 12 hours a day in the hot steamy rooms in the spa), plus I baby-sat for a couple who played in a band on Fri and Sat nights - in their home. Dad and I never saw each other, let alone we weren't able to spend much time with our wonderful kids. We needed so many repairs to our home. We needed a car. We had bills piling to the ceiling. No hope of ever getting out of this mess! One night, after I'd been baptized in the Spirit, I looked up, and I could see outside through a hole in the roof. I asked God to help us! I was totally anxious and hopeless and didn't know where to turn. Then one day, our house caught on fire! Lots of miracles happened in that fire, and because of it, but I won't go into all of it right now. I'm sure we all know that part. Dad and I were at Chuck and Debbie's 6th grade concert when an announcement came over the loudspeakers that Lonnie and Phil Eve - go home immediately - your house is on fire. We grabbed Chuck and Debbie (probably ruined the concert with their absence) and made it to our house just in time to see it burning. It had exploded, according to the neighbors. How awful! No one was home, though - and that was a God thing, for sure. I just stood there watching it, and praying and it felt like I was being protected from the anxiety that situation could have brought. I was so thankful that no one was hurt or killed. Even though everything we owned was gone now, we still had each other! I felt that peace that surpasses all understanding. A peace that only HE can give! Thank you, Lord.
Afterwards we were all at the Thorsen's, trying to comfort each other - all of the family, including all of the relatives. Such comfort. Such worry. No idea of what we would do now. But, here was our little 5-year old Brian at the knees of everyone, looking up at us. Finally he said "I don't know why everyone is so upset! Don't you know my Mom prays?!" That sure says it all, doesn't it? Out of the mouths of babes.
I have never heard about the hole in the roof! It reminds me of a scene in "the Pursuit of Happyness" with Will Smith. He and his son are at the homeless shelter, and the little guy is worried because his Dad has to go into the hallway (leaving his son in the room to sleep) so he has light to work by. Will Smith says to his son, "Do you trust me?" and the little kid says, "I trust you, Dad." He calms down and goes to sleep. Such a great picture of us with our Father! "Do you trust me?" "I trust you, God!"
The "hole in the roof" wasn't big, but it was there - like the wall had settled away from the ceiling and separated forming a crack, which I could see out of!
I do have other anxious moments and plenty of anxiety! Like spiders and fearful feelings when we are on the I-25 here in Denver. I must work on those fears. That book I gave all of you - "Healing Where You Hurt . . . On the Inside" - is very helpful. I've been reading and re-reading some of those pages. Jesus does give us HIS peace!
This is great. Reading your comments regarding this promise. Thank you for letting me read these stories. I know that peace, too. It is crazy good. I love five year old Brian's observation. A praying mother is a God-gift.
6 comments:
Ah, this promise is my favorite! (Wait, didn't I say that once or twice before?"
I know what it is like to have "peace that surpasses understanding" and I know what it is like not to have it, and let me tell you I prefer peace!!! The difference between having peace and not having it is simple: "In everything by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God." Then istead of anxiety I have peace, and no pill or bottle can substitute it!
I love how Dr. Charles Stanley says "we stand tallest and strongest on our knees."
I like Dr. Charles's saying. And it's so true, too!
This really is a wonderful promise, isn't it?
I experienced such awful anxiety before I knew Jesus as my savior. After all, that was one of his purposes - to save me from anxiety. About the time we lost everything to our fire in Gt. Falls, things just seemed impossible. Everything was falling apart. We never had enough money. We worked so hard to get enough. Dad worked 3 jobs, and I worked at the spa 3 days a week (10 - 12 hours a day in the hot steamy rooms in the spa), plus I baby-sat for a couple who played in a band on Fri and Sat nights - in their home. Dad and I never saw each other, let alone we weren't able to spend much time with our wonderful kids. We needed so many repairs to our home. We needed a car. We had bills piling to the ceiling. No hope of ever getting out of this mess! One night, after I'd been baptized in the Spirit, I looked up, and I could see outside through a hole in the roof. I asked God to help us! I was totally anxious and hopeless and didn't know where to turn. Then one day, our house caught on fire! Lots of miracles happened in that fire, and because of it, but I won't go into all of it right now. I'm sure we all know that part. Dad and I were at Chuck and Debbie's 6th grade concert when an announcement came over the loudspeakers that Lonnie and Phil Eve - go home immediately - your house is on fire. We grabbed Chuck and Debbie (probably ruined the concert with their absence) and made it to our house just in time to see it burning. It had exploded, according to the neighbors. How awful! No one was home, though - and that was a God thing, for sure. I just stood there watching it, and praying and it felt like I was being protected from the anxiety that situation could have brought. I was so thankful that no one was hurt or killed. Even though everything we owned was gone now, we still had each other! I felt that peace that surpasses all understanding. A peace that only HE can give! Thank you, Lord.
Afterwards we were all at the Thorsen's, trying to comfort each other - all of the family, including all of the relatives. Such comfort. Such worry. No idea of what we would do now. But, here was our little 5-year old Brian at the knees of everyone, looking up at us. Finally he said "I don't know why everyone is so upset! Don't you know my Mom prays?!" That sure says it all, doesn't it? Out of the mouths of babes.
I have never heard about the hole in the roof! It reminds me of a scene in "the Pursuit of Happyness" with Will Smith. He and his son are at the homeless shelter, and the little guy is worried because his Dad has to go into the hallway (leaving his son in the room to sleep) so he has light to work by. Will Smith says to his son, "Do you trust me?" and the little kid says, "I trust you, Dad." He calms down and goes to sleep. Such a great picture of us with our Father! "Do you trust me?" "I trust you, God!"
Love that comparison, Debbie!
The "hole in the roof" wasn't big, but it was there - like the wall had settled away from the ceiling and separated forming a crack, which I could see out of!
I do have other anxious moments and plenty of anxiety! Like spiders and fearful feelings when we are on the I-25 here in Denver. I must work on those fears. That book I gave all of you - "Healing Where You Hurt . . . On the Inside" - is very helpful. I've been reading and re-reading some of those pages. Jesus does give us HIS peace!
This is great. Reading your comments regarding this promise. Thank you for letting me read these stories. I know that peace, too. It is crazy good. I love five year old Brian's observation. A praying mother is a God-gift.
The comments from Kay and Russ are really Mom's. I'm on Kay's computer!
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