In Hebrew the word for Peace is shaw-lome’ or shalom. It means completeness, soundness, quiet-tranquility, peace in friendships, prosperity and good health. When someone greets you, or says good bye to you with the word shalom they are not wishing you a life absent of war and conflict, but a life that is in a positive state of rightness, completeness, and well being that only comes from a right relationship with God. In the Greek the word translated peace is eirene and it refers to the state of well being, of wholeness and harmony that infuses all of ones relationships. Fruit Peace” like the Fruit of Joy is not related to circumstances, we can have peace in-spite of our circumstances. This kind of peace means having tranquility in your heart, which originates from the understanding that your life is truly in the hands of a loving God. It means experiencing quiet in your inner self. My husband and I had the opportunity to experience God’s completed peace back in June of 1998 when our 22 year old son was hit on his bicycle by a man on drugs, while riding home from his job, just before midnight.
Unfortunately there is not enough space to share the story of our son’s life threatening accident, his time spent in a coma, and the ways in which the Lord sustained us through His perfect peace. In your lesson this week on Day three you were given a very special assignment – “The Notebook of Trust”. Ladies if you don’t do anything else as a result of this study…. Please do this one! Let me share with you just a glimpse of how this can make a difference in your life.
Almost everyday, especially in the beginning days, as I sat in the ICU I would write down what was happening. I thought I was documenting things for when and if we had to go to court. As I would sit there with our son Jason, I would pray and read the Psalms. Now I confess the reading of God’s word was short as I found it hard to concentrate. But God is such a loving and caring God that it only took a few minutes in His Word to receive hope and promises. Let me share with you just a few of those moments with God.
On Day 2 – “Those who know your name will trust in you for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
Day 3 “But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. “ Another day - “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and you listen to their cry,” Psalm 10: 14 & 17
Day 20 “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14”.
Jason was 22 years of age when this accident happened. He was not able to be on our insurance, and he had no insurance of his own. He was considered to be an indigent. We were having some major battles with getting him the proper care due to lack of funds. And the battle had been going on for a number of days at this point. They were going to send him to a nursing home rather then rehab. We knew he desperately needed the rehab in order to return to a somewhat normal life.
On Day 21 - “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song!” God truly worked!!! Jason was sent to a hospital with great rehab facilities, for his kind of mental and physical injuries, for 3 weeks to receive treatment at no cost!!!!
God sustained us, gave us the peace which the world cannot understand… heck I can't explain it, and I am not sure I really understand it…. But I know it’s from God, and I know it’s very, very real! I and my hubby have experienced it in mighty ways. So when the devil gets in there and tries to make me doubt he loses and I win.
I have God’s word in the Bible, but I also have a very personal record of ways God has interacted in my life. Of ways He has personally delivered my family and me. Trust me…. To go back and read the ways and to be reminded of how much He loved and loves; cared and cares; is pure joy and complete peace, and no matter how hard the devil tries to convince me otherwise… he can’t for God’s provision in my life is recorded in a very personal and tangible way. So if you didn’t do your assignment from day three… I hope this will encourage you to do so. I would like to tell you that as a result of this I am no longer filled with fears. But I can’t. Fear seems to be my Achilles’ heal, the devil knows it, God knows it, and you know….. “I know it”. But when I choose to trust, to lean on faith and what I know to be true about God I am able to come out on the other side of the fear. For me it is often a moment by moment, minute by minute journey.
If anyone would like a copy of a newsletter article I wrote regarding our son’s accident I would be happy to send you one. It is incredible to see how God was there every step of the way. Just ask for it by email and it will be on its way.
Be Encouraged
Shalom, Sandra
Sandra, my heart just dropped when I began reading the story of your son's accident, since I have four 20-something kids of my own. He's okay now?
ReplyDeleteMy mind immediately went to our assignment at the beginning of this week, to write out our worst fear. There was no doubt what mine was, but I couldn't let myself write it down or even think on it, for fear that it would happen. Now I'll say it. It's that one of my children would die.
I've struggled with this since they were born; always thinking that that's the one thing I couldn't handle. And then being afraid that God would let that happen, just to show me that He can get me through anything.
Silly, huh? I have come such a long way in that regard and I know that that attitude is not in God's nature and that we aren't given a spirit of fear, etc., but it's funny that I still couldn't bring myself to write it down.
The truth is, I have had to "lose" my children, give them up, in numerous ways and different circumstances over the years; some heartbreaking. I know they were God's children before they were mine, so who could I better trust with their care? I think it's like everything else we give to God; we have to keep giving it again because we keep taking it back.
Thanks for the reminder and for sharing your story. Shalom. (-:
Thank you for sharing Janie. The first part of facing or calming our fear is to be able to say it. You are on your way! I do hope you never have to face losing one of your children. But one thing I am fairly certain - is that in the midst, should that happen, God will be there! No, your thoughts and fears are not silly. I have had very similar thoughts. Our fears are just that "our fears". They don't need to make sense to anyone else. Sometimes in my case they don't even make sense to me...but they are what they are. Some days I make progress and other days, I go backwards a heap. The one thing I have learned is through it all God is there patient as always, and loving me just the same! thank you for your vulnerabilty and your transparency in sharing.
ReplyDeleteMany of you have made a comment that I didn't give you specific questions to respond to this week.. I figured I had given you plenty to think about. I would be very interested in hearing if you did the "Notebook of Trust" assignment from Day 3, and of course the where does the time go assignment from Day 5. If you did them what impact if any did it have for you? Will you be changing anything as a result?
It is exciting for me and greatly encouraging to hear how everyone is doing and that you are enjoying the study. I pray the study will continue to be a blessing.
God is stretching me a ton through the study. I have quite a few discerning moments as I have prepared the lessons for you. Sometimes I think the study is more about me then you. But I keep on trusting that while God is teaching me... He is using me to teach you too!
Shalom, Sandra
Right now. This day. This moment, I am in the midst of being shaken to my core. And yet, through it all I have had peace. Like Sandra, I know from where my peace is coming and yet have no understanding of how it works. God is so very faithful in presenting Himself when we need it most.
ReplyDeleteThe other night I was a brat. I sat in my car and raged at God. I was throwing a tantrum because in the last 5 months I have been faithful, dutiful, serving, honoring. Yet, still, here I am in this horrible situation that He obviously cared nothing about. I told Him that there was no way He could love me and put me through this. I can honestly say that I do not ever recall, in the history of my life, stomping my feet and throwing such a fit. But that night I did.
Here is the amazing part....For the first time in weeks I slept through the night. When I awoke the next morning I was refreshed and ready to face the day.
On my way to work that morning I wept for the way I had acted the night before. I let God hold me and comfort me and tell me He was in control and did, indeed, love me very much. He let me know that it was okay for me to blow off some steam. I had held it in for so long and needed to vent. He told me that he was so glad that I vented to Him and not on my husband or family. That was amazing for me. Even in my little hissy fit, He was protecting me and my family. I don't know that I have been so grateful in a very long time as I was on that day.
I am still in the midst, as I said in the beginning. But my God is bigger than the IRS. Bigger than the mortgage company. Bigger than the phone company. Bigger than the losses that I am dealing with. He is everything I need to pull through and I will cling to that with all that I have. And through that, I have peace.
Dear Loving Jesus
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for your struggles. I can hear your frustration, fear and concern. I don't think you were being a brat... I believe you were right where you needed to be, doing what you needed to do! I am glad that you vented with God and shared with us! The book of Psalms is full of venting from David to God, as well as praises of deliverance and faithfulness. Often times in my own life it is not until I get to the venting stage that I actually release my trial or struggles to God. Oh, I pray about them, I share them with Him, I even ask for help, but I don’t really give it to Him until I have had it! Then I enter the vent stage... the release stage and I let it all hang out. Then I have finally given it to Him. He always graciously takes it, as if to say "I have been waiting for you to hand it over". I always feel a greater peace after those moments and the reason is I no longer own the situation, but my Heavenly Father does. Often times I find in my life that I must wrestle with God much like Jacob did in Genesis chapter 32. Jacob went his own way for a long time and then He and God got down to it…. The result was restoration in familiy, and nations for a time.
One last thought in closing ---Often times God is working and we just can see the results. A good example is the damming up of a stream; cutting off the water flow. Where the dam is created, and the work done, the water stops immediately, however, it can take sometime before the results our seen down stream. God is working, I have no doubt… you just don’t see the results yet as you are down stream, but the water flow will eventually stop. Keep letting go, keep on sharing with the one who knows you best, and know that it is okay to wrestle. Wrestling is often what is needed most! God will get you through to the other side.
Know I am praying for you and your family. I am sure others in our group are upholding you in prayer as well.
Be Encouraged, Sandra