Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:2-3).
To find peace in this time, we need to focus on God. The world is full of noise about bad things, but God is full of life and goodness.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Ps. 46:1-2).
A refuge is a place of safety where we go in times of trouble. A strength is what we rely on when we are weak and facing challenges. God is both our refuge and our strength.
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; his truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day. Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday” (Ps. 91:1-6).
Psalm 91 is full of promises that God has made to his people. We unlock the power of these promises when we believe them. God’s word carries infinite power, and this power is unleashed in our lives when we believe what God said. This is the power of faith.
Our place of safety is in God. It is nowhere else. If we have God, we have all that we need. According to Psalm 91, we don’t need to fear disease, war, darkness, destruction, or demonic powers.
Part of dwelling in the secret place of the Most High means focusing on God, not on the world. We are able to focus on God and not on the world because we have died to the world.
“God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).
Through the cross of Christ, the world does not have any hold over us anymore. We are dead to the world, and the world is dead to us. It does not control us. We are controlled by the Spirit of God, not the spirit that is in the world. We are controlled by the word of God, not by information from the world.
When Jesus died on the cross, he took away all our sins. This is not a cliche, this is a powerful spiritual fact. Every single one of our sins is gone. Jesus died, and that’s why our sins are gone. All guilt and shame are gone.
With our sins gone, the world’s grip over us is broken. Now we have peace with God.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).
The world gives peace that is based on circumstances. When life is good, people have peace. When life is hard, people lose their peace. Peace from the world is unreliable.
Jesus gives peace differently than the world. His peace doesn’t depend on circumstances, it depends on the eternal God and our relationship with him. His peace remains with us regardless of circumstances. This is why Christ is a sure foundation for our lives – a solid rock that will keep us safe.
In the midst of difficult times, let’s remember that our only hope is found in God. It is not found in the world or the things in the world. All these things in the world are going to pass away, but God and his word will endure forever. Let’s focus on God, not on the world, and let’s live as children of God, shining as lights in the darkness.
Lincoln House Churches 