DEVOTIONALS
Missing Puzzle Piece
By: Lori Schaffer
Do you have peace in your life? Or is your life filled with worry and chaos? I remember the days of having young children, and all I wanted some days was just a little bit of peace and quiet. It felt at times like I was being pulled in a million different directions, as if there were no pieces of me left to give. More recently, I went through the toughest time in my life, which for a brief moment, I completely lost all peace. Worry and dread filled me. I began to diligently seek God and to continue to lay the situation down at his feet every day. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.” When I found this verse, I clung to it with every fiber of my being.
Merriam Webster defines peace in the following ways, “a state of tranquility or quiet, freedom from civil disturbance, freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions, harmony in personal relations, and a state or period of mutual concord between governments.” Philippians 4:6-7 says, “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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
How do we find this perfect peace in God? Biblical peace does not mean the absence of pain or anxiety. Peace in God is not changed by our circumstances. Yet, we choose to allow the circumstances we go through to cause us to lose our peace. I am going to use the analogy of a puzzle piece to correlate how you can find true peace in God. Have you ever worked on putting together a big puzzle? I love doing puzzles. I want you to think about any random puzzle piece. You can see what is on the piece, the shape that it is, but until you are able to match that piece up to other pieces, you have no idea what that piece truly represents. The picture doesn’t become clear until you are able to put more and more pieces together. Now, think about the things you do or don’t do in regards to spending time with God. The more pieces of God that you fill yourself with, the more you will experience true peace in God. What are the pieces that you are filling yourself with? Are those pieces representing God? Is His peace visible in your life? Does God even have a piece, or is He perhaps the missing puzzle piece that you need in your life?
Can you begin to add some of these pieces into your life today?
1. Accept Jesus into your heart – a simple, from the heart prayer is all you need to
do
2. Read your bible daily
3. Spend time in prayer
4. Journal your thoughts and God’s responses
5. Meditate on God’s word
6. Memorize scripture
7. Listen to praise music
8. Listen to a sermon message while you take a walk
9. Worship Him
10. Join a small group – please visit bmcc.cc for more information on our Thursday
2. Read your bible daily
3. Spend time in prayer
4. Journal your thoughts and God’s responses
5. Meditate on God’s word
6. Memorize scripture
7. Listen to praise music
8. Listen to a sermon message while you take a walk
9. Worship Him
10. Join a small group – please visit bmcc.cc for more information on our Thursday
night prayer group or the many in home prayer groups offered.
The more pieces you can put together, the brighter your light will shine, and the more the God of peace will fill you. You will begin to see the bigger, clearer picture. The only way for true biblical peace to be found in you or me, is for Jesus to be found in you or me.
No matter what circumstance, situation, or trial that may come your way, you can remain in perfect peace, because you know your future is secure. God holds it all in his hand. You are his child, and he loves you. If you have accepted Christ, your future is secure. You must remain steadfast in your mind – to keep in perfect peace. Anxiety and fear try to steal our peace. The only way to develop an unshakeable faith and to experience God’s perfect peace is to know His word, study it, memorize it. As you begin the steps to develop a close, personal relationship with your Lord, you will begin to experience His peace. A peace that surpasses all understanding. We don’t have to have all the answers, God already does, and He is in control of it all.
My prayer is that you take the steps necessary to seek God daily and begin to experience a peace in your life that only He can bring. It is a glorious feeling to know that no matter what, God has it, and I don’t have to worry about it. True peace comes from God.