Peggy's Ponderings
In the past couple of months, spring has sprung and the signs have been all around us. Trees have been leafing out, and plants and flowers have begun to bloom. The birds are chirping, the squirrels are bounding up and down trees and scurrying over the lawn! As Friend Owl remarked in the classic Bambi movie, “They’re twitterpated!” That’s another way to say that there’s love — and life — in the air!
And as I was enjoying nature in all its splendor recently, a famous song came to my mind, entitled “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing.” (Now you know how old I am.) Love expresses itself in so many ways in each of our lives. I remember a chorus we used to sing a lot during the Charismatic Renewal, called “There is a River”:
There is a river that flows from God above
There is a fountain that’s filled with His great love
Come to this water, there is a vast supply
There is a river that never shall run dry
This river flows in us and to us in every circumstance and in every season of our journey. As we wade into this river of life, we find many expressions of love: the love of our spouse, our parents, our children, our extended family and our friends!
But the greatest expression of love is that love which God Himself has for us. A love that flows to us, in us and for us everyday. And His desire is that it will flow in all of our lives in every area and every circumstance and every path He chooses for us — a love that we can only access through His grace!
As we come to this river, we experience…
• His protection
• His provision
• His peace
• His presence
• His directives
• His supreme authority
• His joy
These precious gifts from the Father give us Bible-centered hope in every single situation that we face. That same hope that causes us to KNOW in our “knower” that what He says, He will do. Hallelujah!
He says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). He calls us to rest in His faithfulness with certainty! The words “be still” mean to abide, to live and to remain in a place where we release to Him all anxiety, worries and fear — where we are immovable! And to “know” means that we have the confidence that there is no one greater than our God and that He loves us more than anyone else can possibly love us, through all of eternity.
Through Christ’s victory, we are MORE than conquerors — we are possessors! Jesus conquered death, hell, and the grave, but we must possess His resurrection life by choice!
We conquer by standing with Him who has won the battle, and we possess the victory by walking in the possession that He has conquered and secured for us! It is our choice to believe in what He has already done and that what He has said, He will most certainly do. We must consciously choose this, though, since possession is an action word. We have to actively receive it and walk in it. The Word says to “lay hold of it” — that is, grab it and not let go (Hebrews 10:23).
Conquering means overcoming our problems, both by standing as individuals and standing in agreement with others. Possessing is not only the choice we make but also the action we take to express our trust in Him for what He has promised. We know that if we receive a check, a gift, a job, etc., we have to possess it or it is useless!
Jesus conquered the cross so that we could possess His resurrection power and experience eternal life. We have been blessed in this life so that we can be all that He has in mind for us to be; and so that we can have His imperishable hope, which is the anchor for our souls. The more that we walk in a Kingdom way of living, the more His power, His presence, and His peace are released. But we must choose to possess it.
So remember, whether you are in a season of friction, transition, expectancy or fulfillment, that His river can flow through us and to others if we fully possess His grace — all that He is and all that He does.
I read a quip the other day that I thought was very applicable: “When faith goes to the market, it always takes a basket.” When we step forward in prayer, we carry expectancy with us in anticipation of God’s answer. So remember the priority of choosing to walk in faith. Our actions of obedience and trust represent the sowing of seeds of faith, and then God brings the harvest.
And as you extend your faith and rely completely on His perfect faithfulness, remember Paul’s declaration of Spirit-enabled confidence: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). It is He who gives me the ability to walk and live daily in His victory — as I cast my anxiety on Him; as I make my requests known to Him; and as I allow His peace that surpasses all understanding to guard my heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
Corrie ten Boom once said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its problems, it empties today of its strength!” So release your worries and cares to the true Burden-bearer and receive His peace and rest for your souls. Possess — and experience — the riches of His grace that He has for you.
Grace, peace and blessings to you all!