If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your faithful love will support me, Lord.
When I am filled with cares,
your comfort brings me joy.
Psalm 94:18–19 CSB
If there’s a drum we should never get tired of beating, it’s this: it’s not about us. Clap it out with me: It’s. Not. About. Us.
Peace isn’t something you attain by striving. Peace is an outpouring of God’s goodness.
Whatever you’re going through today, whatever pain you’re enduring, grief you’re bearing, or load you’re carrying, Jesus understands your suffering. That’s what makes His life, death, and resurrection so miraculous, so complete. Because Jesus experienced every bit of what it means to be human — birth from a mother, betrayal from a friend, thirst, hunger, love, anger, joy, temptation, and agonizing death — we can trust that He understands what we’re going through. We can trust that His peace isn’t trite or superficial. It’s the peace of one who knows what it’s like to be knotted up and knocked down.
His peace lifts us up; it’s Jesus who carries us.
I don’t know about you, but when I’m in the throes of anxiety or dealing with a crisis or just bogged down by the slog of everyday life, I can start to believe things will always be this way. My current feelings will always overwhelm me, my current predicament will always be impossible to overcome. But Scripture tells us that we’re like grass that withers and flowers that fade. Does this mean that our lives are inconsequential? No! This means that our troubles won’t last forever — but God’s Word and His goodness will remain.
Paul, a man well acquainted with hardship, described it like this: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV). When Paul was being flogged or freezing in prison, I can’t imagine those things felt either light or momentary. So was Paul downplaying his pain? Was he telling believers to slap on fake positivity? No. Paul was preaching from an eternal perspective. He was saying that no matter what you’re dealing with today — a cough that’s keeping you awake at night, a family member who isn’t emotionally available, a dream that’s been shattered — God is with you, working through you, and preparing something that is so much better for you.
God is working on our behalf, and the hard things we’re facing today will have lasting value. This doesn’t mean that God causes our hardships. God isn’t the source of cancer or layoffs, verbally abusive parents or broken marriages. But God is able to redeem our pain. If that’s difficult for you to believe right now, I get it. Paul writes,
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Romans 5:1–5 NIV
There is purpose in what you’re going through today. And it’s possible that the very thing that feels like a barrier to your peace is actually what God is using to guide you to Him.
God’s peace through Jesus and God’s love through the Holy Spirit are what encircle us in our suffering. Remember how it’s not about us? God is the one who makes possible the journey from suffering to hope.
It’s okay if you feel like your foot is slipping. It’s okay if you’ve fallen down and cannot stand. Jesus, like the good shepherd He is, will gather you close to His heart and carry you. His peace is yours right where you are.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
GOOD FATHER, my Shepherd Jesus, faithful Holy Spirit, thank You for being the ultimate source of my comfort and peace. I acknowledge that I don’t have power to overcome today’s challenges or secure tomorrow’s future apart from You. I need You. Oh, how I need You. Thank You for promising to steady me when I slip and carry me when I can’t go on. I love You. Amen.
by Becky Keife from Create in Me a Heart of Peace
We hope you’ve enjoyed this Sunday series from our Create in Me a Heart of Peace Bible Study by Becky Keife.
Go deeper this season with the Prince of Peace and receive the fullness of peace God has for you. Create in Me a Heart of Peace is perfect to do with women from your church, a couple of close friends, or on your own. Available on DaySpring.com or wherever books are sold.
Join us for special Advent devotions every Sunday in December!
Oh what a blessing this is to me.its given me hope and encouragement that God sees me, even in my lowest.
Thankyou x
“God sees me, even at my lowest.” Yes, He does, Sheelagh! He sees you and He loves you. Always.
Your words and insights are so inspiring. I am praying for a friend who is suffering with severe pain and all treatments so far have failed to alleviate the suffering. I am going to share this message with her hoping she can understand that this season will pass and she can trust that God is using the situation to draw her to Him.
Amen
I’m praying for your friend right now, Bettye. Thank you for sharing the hope of Jesus with her.
Becky,
When going through trials I get a bit anxious & then depression hits. “Woe is me”. Then I remind myself of tribulations of others-sister dealing with a bad back her husband with Parkinson’s, friends with bad sciatica, etc. I realize that my problems aren’t that bad & they won’t last forever. God sends His perfect peace to calm my mind.
Blessings 🙂
God sends His perfect peace. Yes, Beth! So grateful for that reality too.
Dear Becky……..Your words today is just what I need to read before I go to church. I have so many things going on in my life and I have prayed so often every day, but it didn’t seem like I was getting a response until yesterday (Saturday). I had been praying and once again going over all the sadness and anxiety that seemed to always be there and I asked for Him to help me. These things have been filling my life for over 2 years now. I know that God has His own timelines, but we as human beings sometimes forget to try and be patient and things will come. yesterday after that long prayer, I started to feel different and looking at problems in a different light – in God’s light I think. I usually do not like Saturdays and it has been like that since I was very young, but yesterday Saturday was a GOOD day and He helped me to feel peace and love. Now, I know with Thanksgiving coming up, I will be alone as my ex-husband, son, daughter-in-law (who has truly hated me even before she married Aron), sister who had abused our mother when she was in her elder years and has not spoken to me in 9 years as Mother finally got a chance to tell me what had been going on all these years and how she had drained Mother’s checkbook down to almost nothing for her own use. I could go on and on, but I have to leave for Church now, but your devotion today has given me more strength to put one foot in front of the other. Thank you Becky and I wish you and yours a wonderful, joyful Thanksgiving. I will somehow get through it. Love to you……………..Betsy Basile
Yesterday was a GOOD day!! Praising God with you for that, Betsy! And He will continue to sustain you. I’m praying Romans 15:13 over you:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Becky, thank you for your comforting and encouraging words. I suffer seasons of depression and anxiety and in one now. I also have a debilitating back condition which prevents me from standing or even sitting for no more than a few minutes. I turned 78 yesterday. I get a bit overwhelmed by it all sometimes, but I look to the Lord Jesus for everything. I’m not able to do much, but I can and do pray for my husband, our family, friends and neighbors. Blessed be the Name of the Lord. I am so grateful for all His blessings and promises and trust Him to understand and bring me through. God’s richest blessings to you all!
Donna, as soon as I read your comment, James 5:16 came to mind: “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”
I’m so sorry for your suffering. AND I think God wants you to know that your life has great purpose and He’s so proud of you for coming to His throne room of grace for yourself and your family. Bless you today, dear sister.
Dear Becky, thank you for sharing this. I needed the encouragement. I’m fighting anxiety, anger and sadness as a result of one of my grandson’s actions. After 4 years of marriage he has given his attention to someone else. He has a beautiful wife and a beautiful 20 month old daughter. And he has chosen not to speak to me. His wife is a believer and he is a prodigal. I’m praying and continuing to release him and his family to Jesus. Reading this gives me hope and peace.
Dear Claudia………….I hope it is all right to reply to your reply to Becky, but I have a situation (and I am 77 years old) where my husband of 53 years was diagnosed with violent dementia. I stayed with him for 3+ years as he was in denial and every night of those years he abused me. Here is where I can relate to your story. We only had 1 son who was 52 when his father was diagnosed. I kept calling him and asking him to come to the house and help me. He said I was lying. This happened over and over until my son called me one night and called me a liar that it was just his father’s old age. I had written reports from 2 Psychoneurologists which he said I wrote. He continued to say he did not consider me his mother anymore and I also could never see or speak to my 1 12 year old grandson again and he hung up on me. He has not spoken to me for over 2 years now and my grandson is 14 now and I am heartbroken that I have not seen or even been able to talk to him for the same amount of time. My son’s wife hated me even before they got engaged as she felt that Aron and I, our relationship was too close. Claudia, he is an only child, what was I to do and before he married her at 35, she was 25, he was the sweetest, kindest generous son you could ever ask for. Keep praying as God’s timeline is sometimes long, but I will pray for you as I do know how you must feel. I am so sorry. I have seen in this past week that Jesus has done some things to give me strength and hope, but that was for some other things I am anxious and sad about…………Both of us just need to get through Thanksgiving without breaking down and it is hard as this is my second year without anyone, but we can do it. Love to you……Betsy Basile
Thank you Betsy. I am so sorry for what you are going through and have been for so long. You are so kind to take the time to respond. And, yes, only trusting in the Lord gives us peace and strength to go through the storm. He is our anchor as you know. God bless you my dear sister.
Love, Claudia
Becky,
So grateful for all of our Father’s blessings as I ponder Thanksgiving and prepare for our family feast. (Turkey defrosting in fridge.)
Thank you for sharing…I also shared this devotion out because you so perfectly capture God’s faithfulness. Couldn’t say it any better!
Sending you Thanksgiving JOY,
Lisa
Thank you for this! The grief that I carry after losing my son to a drug overdose is so hard. For 27 years I struggled with him through the ups and downs of his mental illness. He was a good kind soul that was always searching for peace from his illness. He knew the Lord and I remember the tears swelling up in his eyes when we played “The Goodness of God” over and over while we did our daily rides for appointments, etc. I know he is at peace now and God is using his life and death to draw me closer to Him. I still struggle sometimes to accept this, and this reading is a great comfort.