Judges 6:24
(23) But the Lord said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die. (24) So Gideon built an alter to the Lord there and called it The Lord is Peace, to this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
These passages have been so interesting. They really push me to read through more of the chapter to get understanding because at first glance they seem to have no relation to my life. In the 6th chapter of Judges God prepares Gideon to recue the Israelites from the 7 year captivity he allowed them to be in due to their evil ways. Gideon didn't believe he was the most qualified candidate to perform the job and continued to ask God for signs to assure him these instruction were from God. When God appeared to him, Gideon was fearful and astonished at having seen the Lord face-to-face.
Reading verse 23 reminds me that God understands us. Though I say on a daily basis that I would love to have a sit down, face-to-face with God, I'm sure that when He does oblige I will be so very scared. But alas, He is our very present comforter offering his peace and the reassurance that this is just a special meeting and not your time to die.
The gift of verse 24 (and our focus on day 5) is that Gideon built an alter to the Lord and named it "The Lord is Peace." Amen. When I think of how I can do this in my life I am reminded of the peace that resides inside of me. To legitimize it I imagine my internal peace locus as an alter dedicated to God. Acknowledging that the Lord is Peace provides reassurance. In times of distress, pain, hurt and trouble - God is calm, loving, and always providing. Focusing on this internal alter has helped calm my reaction to the storm I am currently facing. It's so hard. It seems like my focusing on peace has brought about every possible storm of vigilance. I'm sure you are have experienced the same but stay faithful - at the end of this our peace will be established and the peace alter that we're building will prove to be a sacrifice worthy of Gods eternal love.
Tomorrow's scripture: 1 Kings 2:33
Be a blessing, promoters of peace.
Showing posts with label judges 6:24. Show all posts
Showing posts with label judges 6:24. Show all posts
Deuteronomy 20:10
When you march up to attack a city make its people an offer of peace.
When I got this assignment yesterday morning I didn't know how I was going to be able to use it for others or myself. Who is at war Lord? and if we are the ones attacking why are we offering peace? My phone rang and my morning was met with anger - someone is disappointed with me, wants more from me and is yelling about how I failed to make the mark. As I repeated the scripture I thought about what wars I'm in and how I can bring peace to the negotiation table. In this chapter God wanted to relieve his people of their ways by giving them the opportunity to repent before he ordered his people to attack.
I have been praying for discernment and deliverance. I find that I sometimes make decisions that are not condusive to my long term goals but are good for the moment and satisfy the need at the time. Usually these decisions come back to bite me in the butt and I'm in too deep to confidently walk away without feeling some seperation anxiety for the people, places or things that I have gotten myself caught up in without consulting God. But my father is faithful to deliver me from the wilderness noting that some people may not understand and that I might have to fight my way out. In instances like that I am reminded to first offer peace - to demand peace even and if all else fails to fight for my salvation - knowing that the battle is won and the victory is His makes it easy to exercise my faith and settle on my peace in times of war.
What is your view on this scripture?
Be ready for tomorrow - we'll be focusing on Judges 6:24
When you march up to attack a city make its people an offer of peace.
When I got this assignment yesterday morning I didn't know how I was going to be able to use it for others or myself. Who is at war Lord? and if we are the ones attacking why are we offering peace? My phone rang and my morning was met with anger - someone is disappointed with me, wants more from me and is yelling about how I failed to make the mark. As I repeated the scripture I thought about what wars I'm in and how I can bring peace to the negotiation table. In this chapter God wanted to relieve his people of their ways by giving them the opportunity to repent before he ordered his people to attack.
I have been praying for discernment and deliverance. I find that I sometimes make decisions that are not condusive to my long term goals but are good for the moment and satisfy the need at the time. Usually these decisions come back to bite me in the butt and I'm in too deep to confidently walk away without feeling some seperation anxiety for the people, places or things that I have gotten myself caught up in without consulting God. But my father is faithful to deliver me from the wilderness noting that some people may not understand and that I might have to fight my way out. In instances like that I am reminded to first offer peace - to demand peace even and if all else fails to fight for my salvation - knowing that the battle is won and the victory is His makes it easy to exercise my faith and settle on my peace in times of war.
What is your view on this scripture?
Be ready for tomorrow - we'll be focusing on Judges 6:24
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