On Peace: Day 5

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.