AGAIN!

As I continue to take baby steps into this new frontier of faith, of a life without my best friend and wife of 48 years, I’m learning to use the miracles and blessings of that past as a foothold for the occurrence of miracles and blessings in my present and future.  It’s definitely been an interesting year and a half since her homegoing to heaven at the beginning of September in 2018.  I realized just the other day, that it wasn’t until the last week or so where I feel like I am finally beginning to get my feet grounded again. 

I think that the hardest part is feeling like the whole foundation of my life has been ripped out from under me and I’ve been walking, talking and doing things in a bubble of sorts, with nothing familiar to hold me up… except for my walk with God!  What I discovered in this last week or so, was that I’ve been doing things just because they seemed like the right thing to do… because it’s what everyone in my predicament does.  And with that discovery was the realization that some of those things seemed very clumsy, uncomfortable and… well, just not quite right for me!

When I began to see this, I was instantly reminded of a statement Kenneth E. Hagin made when he realized that something was amiss in his ministry.  He reported that it felt like “taking a bath with your socks on!”  Once that thought coursed through my head and my heart, I began to sense that “small-still-voice” on the inside of me informing me about my need to follow the peace of God… AGAIN!  Just like Piper and I did for those wonderful 48 years together.  

Then, as if I was seated in a theater watching a movie on the big screen, I began to see many of the important decisions we made together over the years, and then I by myself, when she could no longer communicate with me.  I saw repeatedly, how the final decision we made and the actions we took were based on following His peace in our hearts… no matter what others were suggesting, no matter if it seemed contrary to common sense and no matter if we had the provisions in store to accomplish whatever it was that we felt He was leading us to do, for we knew that He would provide that need (Phil 4:19).

A very familiar verse to me in Colossians 3:15 tells us to, “let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (EMTV)  A new Bible translation that I was just introduced to, encourages us to: “Let your heart be always guided by the peace of the Anointed One, who called you to peace as part of his one body. And always be thankful.”  (The Passion Translation)  

It’s funny in that when I thought about His peace and remembered that particular verse, I instantly felt the warmth and comfort of His peace flooding my soul.  And suddenly I had some clarity about the direction of my immediate future.  I decided right then and there, that I was going to stop pushing myself into doing things just because it seemed to be the right thing to do, and to go back to Piper’s and my well-rehearsed practice of informing Him of our needs and desires and then letting His peace rule or guide or “act as an umpire” (Thayer’s) as to what I should or shouldn’t do!

Matthew 6:33 tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  It’s interesting to note that the word “added” in this verse infers God’s ability to place additional blessings into our lives in a repeatable fashion.  In other words, as we seek Him first, listen and then obey (by our actions of faith), that He will repeat the type of blessings that He has done for us in the past.  That’s not to say that He can’t or won’t do something different, but let’s us know that He hasn’t changed, and if He’s done it for us before… that He is well able to do it AGAIN… and AGAIN… and AGAIN! 

So, suddenly things have slowed down for me and I don’t seem to be spinning around in busyness.  The understanding of following His peace seems to have acted as the firm foundation for my footing that I was floundering for!  I am knowing that what He had done in the past for Piper and I, that He is willing, wanting and waiting to do for me AGAIN in my present and future!  Whew!  Thank the Lord! (Now I really understand what Colossians 3:15 means when it says, “and be thankful!”  It is like I can’t help myself but to utter thanksgivings unto Him as I allow His peace to flood my soul!)

So yeah, I still don’t know where this is all heading… but what I do know now, is that HE has it all under control, that He’ll never neglect nor abandon me (Joshua 1:5) and that as I follow His peace, that I’ll always find myself in the right place, at the right time, saying and doing the right things! 

Following the guidance of HIS PEACE is now working for me… how about you?  Will you give it a try? 

Have a great weekend.  I’m putting my new entertainment cabinet together today so that we can set up my new Sony 65” TV this weekend!  To say the least… I’m kind of excited!  All of a sudden my 32” TV looks pretty tiny!  I’ve got great expectations about my present and future… What are your expectations?