PEACE IS A FUNCTION OF FOCUS

I have said many times that one of the reasons I love the Scripture is because it is REAL. The reality is that we will always face difficulty and want in this life. Whether that difficulty comes directly from the hand of the Lord or those difficulties come from evil doers. Psalm 10 in today’s ‘One Year Bible’ reading speaks of trouble the psalmist is facing. In this psalm, the psalmist calls himself and those like him ‘afflicted,’ ‘the innocent,’ ‘the unfortunate’ and ‘the oppressed.’ None of these titles are monikers we would choose for ourselves!

The word ‘afflicted’ in this psalm means ‘to be poor, humble, meek.’ And the verb means ‘to be bowed down, humbled or afflicted.’ ‘Afflicted’ is defined in the English dictionary (Websters) as ‘to cause pain or suffering to, to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish.’ Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Jesus stands ready to give us His peace in the midst of a world and culture that causes us persistent suffering. Have you experienced His inner, supernatural peace or are you living your life engulfed by affliction imposed from the outside?!?

In this past Sunday’s message, we saw Nehemiah respond to his enemies with these words, “The God of heaven will give us success…” (2:20) He could have chosen to focus his eyes on his enemies or on their accusations. He could have chosen to wallow in self-pity at not being liked or not having an easy path. But instead he focused his eyes on the only One Who could guarantee success…the only One Who promises victory. Our Lord has overcome the world. Focus your eyes on Him. He alone can give you peace.