Balancing Peace and Preparation

Peace family, when the weather gets ominous, we all know that making special preparations is the wise approach, but we must hold onto our peace, too.

If I know that a very bad storm might be blowing in, I wear rain boots to work and carry an umbrella. At home, I vigilantly wash dishes so that everything is clean, put buckets under the three usual leaks in the attic, put buckets outside to collect rain water for my house plants, and make sure that I know where the candles, matches, and flashlights are. I unplug electrical appliances that might be damaged by a surge of electricity, and I make sure that my phone is charged up. I assess the food and water that I have, think about what and how I would eat and cook if power were lost for several days, and make sure my car has plenty of gas. I’ve never filled up a bathtub with water for drinking, but that is a very good idea, too. I’m sure that you do many of these same things!

After a certain point though, as the storm comes in, you can’t make any more preparations; you have to live with what you have planned out for, make the best of your situation, and trust God that he is God, even if things are scary. It’s a combined effort; we would be fools to irresponsibly make no preparations for something terrible that we know is coming while saying, “I am at peace no matter what. I don’t need to put in any effort,” yet it would also be harmful to become so wrapped up in preparations and our own efforts that we lose all semblance of peace.

Peace family, the return of Christ and the end of times are a lot like a storm. We are not sure when, but we know that Christ will return, and we must prepare for it in our hearts and lives. Meanwhile, we must choose to find our peace in him. As we prepare, we must cling to God and not turn away or get swept up in things that keep us from loving, serving, and sharing the gospel in the ways that Christ commanded us to do. Even if it is discouraging to see the world around us living in ways that are more and more against what God says is not only best, but right, we can embrace the peace that God has for us, the peace of knowing that He is still God.

The prayer of my heart lately, as I have struggled with different heartaches, is to declare to God, “I trust that you know best, I trust that you love me and care about my pain, and I trust that what you have said is true.” That is my prayer for you today, too! Let us prepare, but let us also find our peace in Jesus and his words.