"Pay attention to your heart/soul. The wisdom and guidance of God is found there." So it is that one who takes time to be still and quiet acknowledging the Lord's presence finds stability for living as well as divine peace.
Joyce and I have been sharing together the devotional readings from Sarah Young's Jesus Always.
After finishing the following reading she commented, 'there's one for your blog" so here it is in my paraphrased form [it is written as those Jesus is speaking].
"I want you to have no fear of bad news. The only way to accomplish this feat is to have a steadfast heart, trusting in Me. There is an abundance of bad news in the world, but you don't need to be afraid of it. Instead, confidently rely on Me - believe in Me. Find encouragement in my sacrificial death on the cross and My miraculous resurrection. I, your living Savior, am Almighty God! I am sovereign over global events; I am still in control. When things around you or in the world seem to be spinning out of control, come to Me and pour out your heart. Instead of fretting and fuming, put your energy into praying. Come to me, not only for comfort but also for direction; I will help you find the way forward. Moreover, I take your prayers into account as I govern your planet - in ways far, far beyond your understanding. Don't dread the bad news or let it spook you. Instead, keep your heart steadfast and calm through confident trust in me."
Some scriptures upon which the above is based are, Psalm 112:7; Isaiah 40:10; Psalm 62:8; Isaiah 9:6
Psalm 80:3 "Restore us O God; let your face shine; that we may be saved."
Julian of Norwich speaks of Jesus' motherly love for us: "Thus he is our Mother in kind by the working of grace...And he wills that we know it. For he desires to have all of our love attached to him."
Oswald Chambers teaches that "You have to work out with concentration and care what God works in; not work your own salvation, but work it out, while you base resolutely in unshaken faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the Lord...God is the source of your will, therefore you are able to work out God's will." This Chambers states is what Paul meant in Philippians 2:12b-13, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
In Matthew 22 Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. Many of the people invited gave various excuses for not coming. So the king (God) decided to give an invitation to any and all out on the streets to come to the banquet and enjoy the festivities. The Spiritual Formation Bible asks us to imagine God sending the invitation to us. God is throwing a party - and you are invited. But the party is occurring right now, and the invitation requires an immediate response. You'd really like to go. What is holding you back? What must you get finished before you go? What dream of your own are you pursuing? Do God's repeated calls nag at your conscience? Do they make you angry or resentful? Now imagine you see others responding - people who are homeless, young children, people who are very old. Put aside whatever you have been doing and join them. As you arrive at the party, God embraces you and says, "I'm so glad you've come!"
There is a heavenly banquet table which God has prepared for those who accept his invitation to believe in Jesus and belong to God's people. Wow, what a wonderful embrace that will be when our earthly life is finished and God welcomes us into His eternal presence with the words, "I'm so glad you've come!"
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