That Peaceful Smile

That Peaceful Smile

by Chris T.

Did I meet the challenge at its place

Has the lesson fallen asunder

Will I look it in its face

Or, will my effort be a blunder

 

If I allow anxiety to take hold

Then God’s peace has not been gathered

And making fear turn my heart cold

Can set my steps backward

 

With eyes not fit for discernment

A blind faith is always required

The theme of faith is often recurrent

With prayers that are Spirit inspired

 

So, set in motion your game piece

Give Him a chance to show you His grace

Letting your trust in Him increase

And learning to lean on His dependable brace

 

For a slippery slope is the effort in flesh

When we try to do it alone

Just let your mind renew afresh

With prayers sent to the Throne

 

In us is no holy thing

A present tainted by sin

And our transgressions we must bring

In Jesus forgiveness lies therein

 

Don’t grasp for the latest feel-good

A trick the enemy employs

He wants His peace to be understood

By those who avoid the noise

 

Peace He gives to those who listen

Who lie within the trial

For belief brings joy that starts to glisten

in each believer’s faithful smile

Author's Note

Last Saturday I went to my weekly Men’s Bible Study really seeking a word from the Lord for my turbulent life. We sang. We fellowshipped and drank some coffee but my spirit was still just so uneasy. You know that feeling in the pit of your stomach, where you sense that something is boiling below the surface; where you just can’t describe it or put your finger on what is bothering you? That was my last Saturday. I kept praying to the Lord ” What is wrong with me today”? “Where does this uneasiness come from Lord”? And as the teaching in the bible study began to unfold, the Father began to speak to my heart: ” Your concerns are growing and are trying to take you over”. So, while the verse by verse study was continuing, I quickly asked forgiveness for my latent unbelief in the Lord’s plan and this generated another question to the Lord: “What do I do to stop this Lord”? We kept a great pace in our bible study in the Book of John chapter 14. The speaker kept expounding with some great correlations and analogies but they were basically glancing off me during my inner struggle; until………….we hit verse 27. Pow, the Spirit sucker punched me right in soul and the Lord’s word instantly came alive. The verse in the NIV reads like this: John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. “ Whoa, whoa, whoa”. Wait a minute! Isn’t this Jesus speaking here? My Lord and my God, Jesus is speaking to His disciples here. In case you missed it(and I purposely didn’t indent it, or underline it, so to allow the Spirit to do the Lord’s work in you with me out-of-the-way), Jesus isn’t just wanting to give us peace but His peace. Pow, another shot to the soul. Ok, ok,…………did I just read this right? Do you mean a part of the triune God, the Father’s Son, Jesus, the one who is always plugged into the Holy Spirit, the only man who never sinned, the one who never worries about deadlines, needs or mounting concerns , just promised to give me His peace, the peace of Jesus. Bang, I just hit the canvas and the ten count has been issued. Jesus worries for nothing. So, why should I? I could probably spend a month extracting for you guys nugget after nugget of truth for just this one verse, but I want to keep it simple today. If you feel your life has overtaken you. If there is an ulcer eating away at your peace, or, if, as they used to say in the sixties, “something is harshing your mellow”, you don’t have to accept that. Jesus is willing to give you His perfect peace; a beautiful gift to an undeserving world. Take His gift. Ask Jesus to help you live in his perfect peace and lay down the cares of this world at His feet. It will bring you a sense of calm and you will be transformed. It did for me. The word of God says we don’t have to worry about the cares of this world(Matthew 6:25).God promises to take care of your needs. We just need to have a little faith in His plan. So, take hold of Jesus’ perfect peace and begin today to live a life without worry; and if you forget from time to time, that is OK too. God forgives and loves His children. Hey, you never know, you could be sucker punched in the soul today too. I hope you find God in your day today.
God bless, enjoy the poem and as usual, feel free to comment and subscribe.
The Great Plains Poet, servant of the Almighty God.

Reviews

[Mehul Rwat]

This is an amazing write!!

[Tai Ryens]

Another beautifully written one, amazing use of words!