A Note from Peggy

May 30, 2021

Dear Friends,

I wanted to write you a quick note to say — more than anything else — thank you!

My heart is overflowing with gratitude for the many, many expressions of love that have been sent to our family during this most difficult time.

My first response when the love of my life for more than 68 years went home to be with the Lord — whom he worshipped and exalted through all the ups and downs of life — was “WHY, GOD, WHY?” As I felt the panic go through my entire being, body, soul and spirit, the Holy Spirit instantly spoke to my inner being, “You have a choice: to either walk in the presence of My peace OR listen to the myriad of thoughts racing through your mind and panic about all of the “hows” and “whys”!

I was sobbing and in my heart asking, “Lord, how can I go on? My Sweetheart has been there for me every day since I was seventeen years old. Father, I need Your Spirit to flood my soul and restore my joy — because Your joy is my strength (Philippians 4:13). As I continued to cry out, all I could think to say was, “Help me. I need inner peace to fill me anew.” At that very moment, these words came to me from Deuteronomy 31:6 (Amplified): “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble in dread before them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.”

Faith steps into the flood of our circumstances and finds the “solid rock” beneath. Hallelujah!

Phillips Brooks once said, “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.” I would continue his profound thought by encouraging you (as well as myself): Do not pray for life to be equal to your strength, but pray for strength to be equal to your God-given purpose.

Faith tells us to have simple trust and confidence in God, who Himself is our inner peace. The Word does not say, “If trouble comes” — it says “When trouble comes, when the water rises, when the drought arrives… He is there! Faith releases our peace, and peace releases the Holy Spirit’s power. So we need not be afraid of the hardships we face in life; He is in control and will work all things for our good as we continue to trust His character and His ways. Faith is based on the reality of who He is, not on the results of what He does. What He does in and around us is merely a manifestation of what the God we serve is truly like. Faith declares His purpose, and trust activates it!

If the enemy can steal your focus (the thing that your natural mind is fixed on), he will steal your faith through fear, doubt and unbelief. “As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me (answer), and my God will certainly hear me” (Micah 7:7, New Living Translation).

God’s peace does amazing things in our lives:

• It brings clarity of purpose.

• It brings clarity of God’s plans.

• It brings fresh revelation.

• It increases our faith.

• It increases our vision.

So how can we keep our peace? Here’s a handy acronym to hold onto:

Pray

Earnestly seek Him daily

Accept your circumstances (because He will act on your behalf)

Consider your path

Exalt the Lord our GOD!

I can do all things through Christ. His grace, His guidance, and the power of the Holy Spirit living in us and flowing through us strengthens us to be able to handle every difficult situation, so it will become His opportunity to make our inner man strong! He will give us His peace…peace that passes all understanding!

With excitement, expectancy, and His enduring grace,

Peggy