How important is it to develop a relationship with God? How is it possible to have a relationship with Him when the world is chaotic and noisy? Today’s reference is a command, so it must be possible. We are promised the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, with great grace and benefit to Hos presence. Our culture’s method of experiencing peace and tranquility is advertised as the absence of hardship or hostility. Sitting on a sandy beach watching the sleepy ocean tide may be the world’s best depiction. The defining marker is the absence of conflict.
But the Holy Spirit, by contrast, brings peace in the midst of conflict, distress and persecution. It simply doesn’t make sense for the Comforter to bring that kind of peace, that peace comes naturally. In a strange way, the more uncomfortable a circumstance or the risk for God, the more profoundly we can experience the peace that passes all understanding. The joy of knowing Christ, the hope within, is beyond understanding or an expression of words. Our faith, hope, love, peace, and joy come to us as we know Him and live in Him.
“We have little control over the circumstances of life. We can't control the weather or the economy, and we can't control what other people say about or do to us. There is only one area where we have control--we can rule the kingdom inside. The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart.” - Warren W. Wiersbe
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