Whew, had a terrible dream/nightmare! Something bizarre had happened to a friend, and me trying to help them was hitting roadblocks… It woke me up at 1am. Ugh. I prayed for peace and I prayed for Jesus to rule over the evil one biting away at my peace. I lifted my hand in reaching for the Lord to pull me out of the water only to lower my hand to a position of realizing Jesus being NEXT to me, Him having my hand AND touching my shoulder. Two-handed Jesus. Saved AND guided. Whew – and me realizing I was NOT distant from Him at all, as He was guiding me thru that pothole-filled section of my dream all along. He really is in the healing business. The Spirit walks us thru Life.
So later this same morning, I had a second separate dream of checking in on this same friend and he was alright, whew. I told him about the dream, we reconciled about how worried I was and others were of him.
It’s been really good that I’ve slept more in healing ways with healing dreams over this past year. When I asked the Lord to guide me in the pandemic, He said “REST”. And I have actively taken much rest, repair, and realization that it is a gift. I truly have seen the Lord going back in my brain to heal those ruffles in my memories. I know He is actively repairing pieces of my peace… I’ve also had more quiet times this past year than ever – certainly also because my daughter is away to college and with my son doing his own thing, but the elephant in the room is not loneliness, it is bold quietness that permeates the space.
What’s more, thru all this processing, I have actively felt Jesus working. I’ve dreamt about my faith lately. I’ve never done that until about 3 or 4 months ago. It’s like the Lord had THAT MUCH repair to do in old ruffles before He could get me to my current me. We were in repair of backroad stretches for a while. Like you can only lay down new roads to peace AFTER the Lord and you together move all the messes blocking the paths. Plus, the LORD has to source all the repair materials when you give Him time to shop and when give Him the dimensions of your life into His Hands. He knows, but if you call out the measures of your pain, He will measure out your healing and then some. Even more, Jesus wants to write the next blueprints of what you and Him are going to build together in your life.
Potholes in the road to peace are sometimes patched, sometimes eliminated in road rebuilds, and sometimes LEFT ALONE but Jesus steps you OVER or AROUND them. Sometimes it takes quite a while to go around the big ones. Jesus ALWAYS takes the scenic route.
The Lord heals, a Lord-given PEACE measures at unfathomable levels, PEACE THAT SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING… We may not be at that peace yet or completely, or the pothole filling is so fresh that it may not stay in, but don’t stay down in that pothole, call out to the Living Water to float you out.
In between those dreams, I went to some of my failsafe methods of finding peace, including texting to that friend (but NOT hitting send in the middle of the night). I could shake off that nightmare knowing that the Lord would rescue. And of course, He does. I know where my anxieties lie, because the Lord leaves them on the ground to step over as you leave them behind.
Actually, the Lord knows EXACTLY where to step with you because He IS the only one who saw ALL THOSE moments in the making. He remembers making wide open spaces on your life map. He would love for you to use Him as your blueprints for building the new you.
Keep walking with the Lord.
AMEN
Debbie Upper 
PS… I APPRECIATE a separate devotion that I read this morning AFTER I woke up from my repair night… This is from a great writer who brings the right scriptures to his thoughts, that hit my thoughts… wow so FITTING this morning…. A little time ago, this author and I started to chat by email and I find joy in that he actually took time to chat with me. THEREFORE, how much MORE JOY I have that the Lord Himself finds our peace pieces and puts us back together each morning… Psalm 30:5 there may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning.
The Daily Dose
The Peace of God 1/22/2021
Good Morning, Wouldn’t it be wonderful to constantly have God’s peace instead of becoming anxious?
Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Being anxious for nothing seems like a very unreachable goal even in the best of times. But it is especially hard during unstable times like we are currently experiencing? The emotional storms of inner turmoil are difficult to handle in the midst of so many unexpected turns. Grief, fear, and worry can cause us great distress. To see us through life’s difficulties, God provides His protection and peace. But protection doesn’t mean that troubles won’t occur. Jesus allowed the disciples to experience the fear and anxiety of being in a boat on a raging sea. Matthew 8:23-25 Jesus permitted them to suffer because He had something far more important to teach them. He wanted the disciples to recognize their own helplessness, His sufficiency, and their dependence on Him.
In order to combat anxiousness, it is critical that we learn to focus our attention on Christ each day and find His peace, rather than focus on the world and on Life’s storms, which are going to occur whether we build our houses (life) on rock (Christ) or sand (the world). Luke 6:47-49 God’s peace is certainly not the same false and quickly fading peace that the world gives us through a relaxing vacation, John 14:27 but a peace that passes and transcends all human understanding and allows us not to be troubled or afraid. Philippians 4:7 A peace that is offered freely to us and will last as long as we allow it to. It is a peace that can only come through a deep and abiding relationship with Christ by way of the Holy Spirit, which allows us to trust in the faithfulness of God. Romans 15:13
God’s peace is actually a by-product of the fruit of the Spirit, which comes through daily engrafting in the Vine of Christ. Galatians 5:22 When we seek after God, the Holy Spirit offers us an inner tranquility, which can only be found in Him. Peace is something that we must daily pursue as we discipline ourselves to draw nearer to God. 2 Timothy 2:22 / 1 Peter 3:11 It becomes a choice of our free will, just as we can choose to forgive those who trespass against us, or we can choose to harbor bitterness which will eventually destroy us both physically and mentally.
Again, true peace and a lack of anxiousness, comes only after awaking each day and spending time with God. By taking time each day to remind ourselves of God’s awesome, vast and unconditional love for us and that He guides and directs our paths each day. A time to engraft into the Vine if Christ and remind ourselves that apart from Christ, we can do nothing! “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 It is actually believing and taking literally what Jesus told us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
We must simply be renewed and remind ourselves daily that God is in control even though everything around us may seem out of control. It is also being reminded that He never leaves of forsakes us! Hebrews 13:5 Once we are filled and renewed with God’s peace and love each day, then the overflow of His peace and love, will be evident to others in the way we carry ourselves and treat others each day.
Lord, please draw us all closer to You today. Fill us all with Your peace, relieve our anxiousness and allow us to rest in You today. In Jesus name we pray, Amen
Have a powerful and prosperous day of dwelling in God’s peace as you serve others in the workplace and at home!
Bob Bennett Real Men Ministries
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” — Philippians 2:3
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