I have never done the same Bible study two times within the short space of a few months, but this one is unique. It was written by my friend Carol Graves. It is called "Four Steps to Peace - The Journey." At it's core it is a study on prayer; at it's heart, learning to focus on God and who He is. The end result is peace. Peace - the commodity the world longs for and which can only truly be found in Jesus Christ.
It dove-tails nicely with this Journey to Trust I've been writing about. Trust is central to a deepening relationship with the Father. Carol writes:
"There are times when our journey to peace seems longer than it should. What we don't realize is that even though we do not see the answer to our prayer, we can still arrive at our destination if we simply trust that God is at work. ...We want solutions and answers that will make us feel comfortable.
God does not hurry.
He teaches us to wait.
The scriptures are clear, that when we wait on God, He will be faithful to act and He wants good things for us. Our timetable may not be the same as His, but we can trust that He will not act in haste. His answers are perfectly timed. It is in the waiting room that our faith can grow as we wait in expectation for His answer. It is there that we say to Him, 'I trust You.'"
One of the first things I wrote about was how learning to trust God, to fully surrender to His sovereignty in my life, brought peace. It's true but I find I am still in that waiting room Carol wrote about. I sometimes take my eyes off Him and have to surrender the circumstances all over again. But there is always peace. Not manufactured peace, the kind where I try really hard to think "happy thoughts," but the peace that comes from knowing God loves deeply and works wisely and always for my good.
Blessings,
Linda
