Peace of Mind
“Do not be
anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
The
world is full of troubles that can cause a person to be at a constant state of
anxiety. If you turn on the local or world news, you will see and hear stories
of death, anger, tears, lies, and greed. You will hear of children dying in the
streets, terrorists’ bombings, nations making threats of war, and the economy showing
signs of financial ruin. Sin is running all throughout the world and the
ungodliness that is taking place can cause many to be distressed if seeds of
worry are allowed to fester. The uncertainties of bills, family, jobs, school, and
other factors in life can also contribute to individuals having elevated blood
pressure, heart disease, strokes, and even depression. Unfortunately, worries
are often at the top of the list for many, while Jehovah Shalom is at the
bottom. If we were to reverse that, however, worry would not be as prevalent in
their lives. The Bible says, “You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3).
The Bible lets us know that when
our mind is constantly on God, worry will be non-existent. Faith will kick in
and though things around may seem unsteady, trust in Jehovah Shalom will help
us to have peace in the storm. A person cannot worry and have faith in God at
the same time. One will cancel out the other. Jehovah Shalom offers us peace by
helping us to utilize our faith in Him. The Bible says, “But
when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a
wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). This means
that we must not have doubt where one minute we are trusting Jehovah Shalom to
handle life’s situations and the next we are doubting that He will. We must
totally submit our anxieties to Him.
The
Prophet Daniel displayed a great amount of peace when confronted with a troublesome
situation. During the reign of King Darius, Daniel was shown favor as he had
been shown with King Nebuchadnezzar. He had been placed as one of the
administrators to rule throughout the kingdom under King Darius. Daniel pleased
King Darius so much that the king planned to set him over the entire kingdom. Unfortunately,
the other administrators became jealous and sought to ruin his reputation, but
they were unsuccessful with their plans. Finally, after much plotting, they
finally came to the conclusion that the only way they could find fault with him
would be through his faith in God because of his righteousness. The Bible says,
“Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges
against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God”
(Daniel 6:5). Therefore, they came up with what they thought to be a
brilliant plot to get rid of their competition.
The
administrators went to the king and deceived him into thinking that they wished
to honor him for thirty days when in fact, it was a plot to entrap Daniel. They
knew that Daniel was faithful to the one and only true God and that he would
not worship any other gods. Therefore, they tricked the king into signing a
decree that no one was to pray to any gods or man for thirty days other than
himself. Once the king stamped it with his official seal, there was no one,
including the king himself, who could undo it. The Bible says, “Now,
oh the king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered –
in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be
repealed.” So King Darius put the decree in writing” (Daniel 6:8-9).
The evil men’s plan against Daniel was underway. All they had to do was watch
and see if their plot would be successful.
Despite
hearing about the new law, Daniel did not change course. He did not bow down to
the ungodly law. He did not become fearful and pray in secret to avoid being
seen by others. He continued to open his windows and pray to the God of Heaven.
Jehovah Shalom was his God of peace even while wicked men were plotting his
demise. Daniel trusted in Jehovah Shalom and his ability to rescue him from the
plot of his enemies. The Bible says, “Then these men went as a group and found
Daniel praying and asking God for help” (Daniel 6:11). The wicked men
saw that Daniel was not going to turn away from his God regardless of the
consequences. Therefore, they immediately went to the king to tell him about
Daniel’s disregard for the law. The Bible says, “So they went to the king and
spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during
the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or man except to you, O king,
would be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “the decree stands –
in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed”
(Daniel 6:12).
The
men proceeded to tell the king that Daniel had dared to defy his order and that
the punishment had to be given in accordance with the king’s order. King Darius
was greatly distressed about the whole situation, but he followed through with
the order and Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den. The Bible says, “So
the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’
den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue
you!” (Daniel6:16). The king by this time knew what the wicked men had
done, but he followed through with the order and hoped that Daniel’s God would
rescue him from the lions’ mouths. Daniel knew that he had done what was right
in the sight of Jehovah Shalom. Therefore, only the peace of Jehovah Shalom was
able to comfort him in such a dire situation.
The
king was very distressed and did not eat or sleep at the thought of Daniel
being thrown in the lions’ den. At the break of dawn, he hurried to the den to
see if Daniel was still alive. To his amazement, Daniel responded to the king’s
concerning question to let him know that he indeed was alive and had been
rescued from the mouths of the lions. The Bible says, “Daniel answered, ‘O king, live
forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have
not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done
any wrong before you, O king’” (Daniel 6:21-22). At hearing Daniel’s
voice, the king was overjoyed and had Daniel taken out of the lions’ den.
Daniel had to trust in the peace of Jehovah Shalom to take care of him and
deliver him from the hungry lions.
The
wicked men who plotted Daniel’s demise, however, were not so fortunate. They
and their families were thrown into the lions’ den and eaten before they even
reached the floor. Jehovah Shalom gives us peace even in the darkest of nights.
All we have to do is trust in Him to fulfill His promises. We may be thrown
into life’s den of lions and feel abandoned by God but be assured that Jehovah
Shalom will send His messenger of peace to calm you in the midst of devouring
lions. Faith, hope, and trust will give you His ultimate peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment