"He is the health of my countenance." - Psalm 43:5
Circumstances come into our life throughout the day that tax our emotional
and physical energy. But, I have great news…
We do not have to overcome our
daily trials; we just need to find God in the center of them.
He is always interacting with His world in and through us. He is the vine;
we are the branches. He is the potter; we are the clay. He is the power; we are
the conductors. God is the great "I AM" (John 8:58), and He is all, and He is in all (Ephesians
4:6).
Circumstances often affect us in a negative way. We do not need to stay
trapped in that circumstance, however. We can use the Serenity Prayer and hear
God’s desire for each situation. Then, we deal with the components of the
circumstance if we are able, or we put them in God’s capable hands if we are
not able to deal with them. The Lord of peace Himself will give us His peace at all times
and in every way (1 Thessalonians 3:16). Then we can go right on to the very next moment -
experiencing each and every moment of the day fully and deliberately.
The Lord is the health of our countenance. Our countenance is our facial
and bodily language. They display the attitude of our mind, will and emotions,
which come from our soul. As we focus on Christ in us, He radiates in us and
through our countanence. Our communion with God opens our hearts to feel more
intensely than we are capable of feeling in our own emotional capacity. We
become linked as one with the heart of God.
What brings Him joy becomes our pleasure. What grieves His Spirit becomes
our own lament. We see life from His viewpoint rather than from our own petty
concerns. This is where abiding in the Vine allows us to sway serenely in the
gale of any storm. With God in us, we can rise above every circumstance.
Often we spin our wheels, because we are trying to accomplish great things for the Lord without even listening to His Holy Spirit. We live a fulfilling life only as we allow God’s Holy Spirit to lead us, and then as we do ONLY those things which He directs us to do. Henry Blackabe in Experiencing God puts it this way, "Find out what God is doing, and then join Him."
Several years ago, I heard one man ask his friend, “How are you today?”
His friend responded, “Well, I’m not very good, under the circumstances.” The man replied, “Well, what are you doing under there?”
If you want to be discouraged, look at your past. If you want to be stressed, look ahead. If you want to be content, look with God’s eternal perspective at the present moment. This is what we call “walking in the Spirit,” "walking in the here and now," and "being present in the moment." We really can learn not to worry about tomorrow (Luke 12:22), but to fully enjoy the moment, which God gives us to serve Him.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us to rise
above the natural components of our circumstances by having an eternal focus
about life. Help us to remember that You are the Creator of all things and that
the power of the Trinity abides within us (Colossians 2:9). We can change our lives by changing our focus from
the troubles and trials of our circumstances to the eternal perspective of the
peace and joy You help us to find in the midst of them.
Thought for the Day:
Each new moment is the first moment of the rest of your life!
