I stood in my kitchen reading on my phone when it was as if my body was filled with lead. 220 Assyrian Christians abducted by IS was the headline. The lead began to speak words in my mind I had not heard for years.
Why don’t you stop? What good is it for? You are useless, and no one loves you…why don’t you become like everyone else? Does God really exist, can you see him anywhere? Drink this cup of fear, then everything will be better. Deny, deny, deny. Say what they want to hear and you will save your life.
I lied down on my bed. My heart was restless, where could it find rest, peace?
Prince of Peace, Immanuel, God with us, says:
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Is 41:10)
There is only one I should be afraid of: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28 )
I have been an enemy of God, because I was a sinner and didn’t know Jesus. Praise the Lord, God sent His son not to condemn the world, but to save the one who believes in His son. We are sinners, but Jesus died on the cross, so that we are saved by grace, justified through faith. Jesus’ death showed the way to come to God and have peace with Him (Romans 5:1-3). This is the peace the angels sung about when they came with the news about the birth of Christ and praised God: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. (Luke 2:14)
Peace is also one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). The Hebrew word, Shalom, means peace, completeness, wholeness, health, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest and harmony. My heart was restless for many years until I met Jesus and through him found shalom in God.
Nothing can separate us from the love and peace of God in Christ: Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
I pray for justice and for salvation and for you, who read this now, I pray that God may bless you and give you inner peace.
The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26)
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