Blazing Issues

“In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me.” – Psalms 86:7


When I was a little girl, we lived in the country. We didn’t have trash pickup. In fact, I don’t recall ever seeing a trash truck. Instead, we had an old barrel that had holes in the sides at the top. It sat on the hill at the property line next to the neighbor’s fenced pasture. When the trash can would fill up, we would take the trash out, put it into the barrel, light a match and burn it.

It wasn’t easy to get it to burn at times. There would be water in the bottom of the barrel, or not enough paper in the trash to ignite and start the fire. Sometimes the wind would blow out the matches before you could touch the paper! I remember once my brother being impatient to get the fire started. It was in the fall, and the wind was blowing so hard the leaves were being blown off the trees and it just wasn’t catching fire. In his impatience, he decided to pour a little of my Dad’s lawnmower gas on it. And if a little would work, he thought, then a lot would do much more!

He doused the trash in gasoline, and threw in a match. Yes! It lit! And he started to walk away when he saw small pieces of trash started floating out of the trash can and the wind started carrying them into the field. He saw the grass near the trash barrel starting to catch fire. He quickly he ran into the house, past my mom, and got the straw broom. He started hitting the burning grass with the broom to suffocate the fire. Some went out, and it looked like he was winning the battle, until the broom caught fire.

He decided then to go for the water hose. He was unwinding it, and trying to get it to the top of the hill where the fire was now blazing around the barrel. But after spending precious time trying to get the hose unwound, he discovered it was too short.

Finally he did what he should have done to begin with, and came running into the house to my mother. She and I both went outside and began beating out the fire with shovels, and buckets of water. Luckily, a young man who lived near us came by and stopped to help.

The neighbor’s pasture nearly burned up that day. Why? Because my brother didn’t want to ask for help when he couldn’t start the fire. Instead, he relied on his own wisdom to take care of his problem. And the more he relied on himself, the worse it got.

Friends, we are often like my brother. We take our problems and work them over the best we know how. We try everything we know to do. Sometimes we are successful. But other times we carry those problems down a path of destruction.

God’s word tells us in Proverbs 3 to “lean not on your own understanding”. God has all the answers to our problems – big and small. We know that He is only a prayer away. We know that God has all wisdom and knowledge. We know that he hears our prayers. We know He has the answers. Yet, we allow our relationship with Him to be weakened by neglecting the power He could have in our lives. We are an independent bunch – wanting to put out our fires without asking for help. Don’t wait and allow your fire to become a blazing issue, consuming you and those around you. Give it to the God who has conquered even the fires of Hell!

Faith and Fear

“And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” – Mark 9:22-24

One thing I admire about my kids is that they’re both great swimmers. My son is a certified lifeguard and on the swim team. My daughter would rather be in the water than anywhere else on earth! Me? The deep end of the pool is still off limits. I can’t go there. Oh, I can swim…as long as I can stand up when I’m done! I never caught on to the “doggie paddle” thing that you do when you’re finished moving around to keep you afloat.

Every summer I tell myself that I’m going to take lessons or I’m going to just get into the pool and do it. But as this summer passes, the goal again goes unachieved.

As much as I’d love to learn to swim better, when I think about the deep end, I think of going slowly to the bottom, water filling my mouth, and having to walk my way across to the ladder, struggling with the weight of the water, to get out. Even now as I think about it I’m only one more thought from a full-blown cold chill! Why? I fear the water.

Three hundred and sixty-five times in the Bible, it says “Do Not Fear”. 365! That’s one for each day of the year. God knew that fear would prevent us from achieving our goals, and that’s why he warns against it.

Some would say that the opposite of faith is unbelief. I believe it’s fear. Ultimately, whatever causes you not to belief has roots in fear. I don’t dare venture into the deep water because I don’t have faith in my swimming abilities, and I fear drowning.

I think a lot of us are stuck in the shallow end of life because we’ve let our fears hold us captive there. Instead of faith that we can achieve our goals, we hold on to the fear of failure and it’s consequences.

Mark 9 tells the story of a young man who was held captive by a mute spirit. It would come upon him and try to destroy him. It would throw him onto the ground or sometimes into the fire or the water to try to kill him. The disciples tried to free the young man from the spirit and failed. One look into the eyes of such an evil spirit no doubt took their faith to the floor!

But Jesus says, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

As Christians, can we believe that? It’s Bible. It’s God’s word. It was Jesus who spoke it. Sure, we can accept it with our minds, and state it as truth. But can we accept it into our hearts?

The father of the young man said something very profound to Jesus upon hearing these words. He said, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Both belief and unbelief were in his heart. As much as he believed that God could save his son, his faith wavered when he was faced with his fear.

Perhaps the prayer of this father is one we should all adopt. If all things are indeed possible if we believe, and Jesus stated that they are, then is there anything we need more than unwavering faith?

Lord, help MY unbelief!

The In's and Out's of Life

“Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers.“–Deut. 6:23


It was a Sunday night and the church was crowded. We were sitting on the second pew in the church – right up front. The invitation song had started. The service was almost over. My best friend was standing beside me, at the end of her rope, with her two young boys by her side. The boys had acted up during the church service and now during the final hymn they just couldn’t seem to stop.

She looked me square in the eyes with righteous indignation bubbling to the surface and said “Give me your belt!”. For goodness sake! I’m on the second pew – with most of the church behind me! I didn’t want to start undressing right there! “Now?” I asked, just hoping she would postpone the inevitable punishment these boys would get. “NOW!” she said, “Give me your belt!”

I gently eased my belt off, hoping no one would notice. She snatched it from my hand, grabbed up the two boys and out the back door they went. In a few minutes in she came back in, walked all the way back to her seat at the front of the church with my belt hanging by her side. Two sniffling little boys following with their heads down in embarrassment. She took them out so that she could bring them back in. They came back in willing to be what they should have been all along.

The story of Moses is one of being brought out and brought in.

He was brought out of the waters in a basket to be brought into the King of Egypt’s household and raised as an Egyptian.

He went out of the palace to see the treatment of the Israelite slaves by the Egyptians. To flee the murder of one of Egyptians he was brought in to Midian.

He was brought out of Midian to Mt. Horeb to hear from God out of midst of the burning bush. Then he was brought back into Egypt to help God set his people free.

He was brought out of Egypt with the Israelites and into the wilderness to be taught by God.

He was brought out of the wilderness, out of the Red Sea, and into the land of Shur.

With every move that God made in Moses life, there was a lesson for him to learn. Some took time, and the purpose wasn’t clear until years later. But with each move God made, Moses was being drawn closer to God and His will for Moses’ life.

Life is often like a long walk in the woods. You can’t always see what’s ahead because of all the twists, turns, hills, and valleys along the path. But we have to persevere. We have to follow the path God puts us on.

We often have to be brought out so we can be brought back in. It’s not always pleasant. Sometimes we have to give up family and friends. Sometimes we have to give up a job we love. Sometimes we’re asked to change our playmates and playthings. At times the change may come through a tragic event that God uses to cause us to move. But in the end, if we follow God’s leadership, He will always bring us in to something better.

Meet My Staff!

David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. – 1 Samuel 17:39


When my daughter was a little girl she had a favorite doll she would carry around with her. His name was Steve. Steve went to bed with her every night. Sometimes he would grace our dinner table with his presence. He never talked much, at least not to the rest of us. But Steve and my daughter would have some long conversations sometimes!

Steve went with her to the doctor’s office. He was there when she got her shots. He went to church with her. Steve and Gabby were always together! In fact, once while she was sleeping my son and I organized a birthday party for Steve complete with cake and juice! She was elated to find out it was Steve’s birthday!

My daughter depended on Steve. He was comforting to her. He was familiar. He was tried and true. When all the other toys had to be put away, it was Steve who was allowed to sit on her bed.

As a boy David found himself in the midst of a trial when he needed something tried and true. Coming up against a 9 foot tall giant was no small feat for a shepherd boy. Yet, David volunteered! What made him feel the courage to put his life on the line? What he possessed was tried and true.

David tried the armor that King Saul offered him and told him “, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” Instead, what he took with him to fight Goliath was his staff, and three stones. The stones were weapons, and we understand why they were necessary. But what was the purpose of the staff?

The staff was a symbol of his faith in God, and he’d tried God, and proven Him to be true. A staff was often carved to show the great events in a shepherd’s life. David’s most likely had a carving of when he killed a bear and a lion with his bare hands (1 Samuel 17:36-37). Having fought both a bear and a lion and found God’s strength to be sufficient for him, he didn’t fear a Philistine who was mocking God’s own people!

What have you carved into your staff? Have you carved into it “God healed me from cancer”? Have you engraved it with a marriage that God glued back together? Have you marked it with the steps of a wandering child that came back to his upbringing? Have you recorded a financial downfall that God pulled you through?

I don’t know about you, but my staff is covered in marks! And when Satan rears his ugly head and comes at me with his tiny little water pistol ready to put out my fire, he’s gonna find me standing! And I’ll raise my staff up in the air, and shout, “Satan, meet my staff!” I’ve tried God and He has been proven faithful and full of mercy and grace! Praise God that I don’t fight my battles alone!

Have You Made Your Bed?

"Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." – 1 Peter 3:10-12

Here in the south we have a saying. “She made her bed, now she has to lie in it.” I remember being about 9 years old and first hearing this from my grandmother. One of our relatives was going through a tough time in her marriage, and my grandmother said, “She made her bed, now she has to lie in it!” I thought at the time, what does this have to do with her problems? Should she sleep them off?

Have you ever slept in a bed that was made up with wrinkles in the sheets? I may be a bit more sensitive than some, but I find it uncomfortable. The folds of wrinkles bunch up under you and feel like pockets around your feet. A bed made with no wrinkles, sheets pulled taunt, to me, is much more comfortable, and gives a better night’s rest.

This old southern cliché means that if you make your bed with wrinkles, you’re the one that has to sleep in it and pay the price for being sloppy. But we use it not to refer to a bed, but to our lives. We can bring “wrinkles” into our lives by making bad choices or going against God’s will for our lives.

1 Peter 3:10-12 tells us that we should turn from evil, hold our tongue, not lie, and seek peace if we want God’s blessings on our lives. Far too often we “make our own bed” by going against this teaching. We twist the truth, spread gossip, find ways to create conflict whether intention or not, and cause God to turn his face from us.

When we find ourselves in this condition, we’re only one repentant prayer away from being able to straighten things out. Psalms 139:8 says “If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.” Sin doesn’t separate us from the love of God, only His companionship. How wonderful it is to know that the companionship we so desire and need with God is only a prayer away.

CHOOSING TO FORGIVE

Okay, I’m going to give you the bad news. Sit back, get comfortable, and take a deep breath. I’ll do this as painlessly as possible.

In life, people are going to hurt you. There will be those you love who betray you, those you call friends who stab you in the back, and those you trust who will deceive you. You’ll be gossiped about (yes, even you!), lied to, and ridiculed. You’ll be robbed, you’ll be wronged, and you’ll be mistreated, and yes, even discriminated against. You’ll be falsely accused and punished unfairly. I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true.

Friends, if you are lucky enough to read through the last paragraph, and still think “oh, no, not me!” then you need to hear this so you’ll know how to react when it does happen. If you read the paragraph and know all too well the truth it speaks of, you need to know how to react to what has already happened.

When people hurt you, you have a choice. It’s an A-B multiple choice, a 50/50 chance to get it right. You can chose: (a)To forgive or (b)To hold a grudge. (Hint: pick A – forgive!)

Forgiveness is not for the assailant, but the victim. You’re grudge will be in your heart, not theirs. The problem with grudges is that they get heavier as you carry them. As you think about them and dwell on them, they began to become an infection in your heart. Eventually, the grudge will grow and your whole heart will be filled with anger and hatred. Every ounce of love will be pushed out, squeezed out and dried up.

Someone once said “Forgiveness is love in its most noble form.“ I like this quote because it points out the source of forgiveness, love. Someone else once said, “Love isn’t love until you give it away.” There are so many of us who are selfish about who we will love. We want to segregate those we love from those who have wronged us. We want to withhold our love, and therefore our forgiveness.

But Jesus said to love your neighbor. His answer to the question of “And who is my neighbor?” in Luke 10:29 was not a territorial one describing how many miles of circumference designated a neighbor. His answer pointed to the actions of the one who became a neighbor. Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan who took care of a wounded man, and showed mercy on him. Mercy is what Jesus desires from us (Matthew 9:13), as a way in which we show our love to each other.

Sometimes forgiveness can only be given by acting out of love. Doing something nice, above and beyond the ordinary, for the person who has wronged you does wonderful things within your heart. It allows you to concentrate on ways to love them rather than ways to hate them. Your heart will be filled with that love, and a funny thing happens when you put love in your heart. It fills it up and pushes everything else out! In fact, we’ve all been given one of these “above and beyond” gifts. It was called the crucifixion, and by it we can have eternal life, and be freed from our own sins.

Now here’s one last warning on the subject of forgiveness. Listen carefully. (Are you listening?)

If you don’t forgive those who hurt you, God will not forgive you of your sins. Don’t believe me? You don’t have to! Mark 11:26 says “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” That’s God’s word, not mine.

Friends, more than anything else in this world we need God’s forgiveness. Far more harm can be done to us by not receiving that forgiveness and living a life dredged in sin than could ever be done to us by our enemies!

It’s a simple matter of power. God has it, and without Him, we don’t. You need Him to get through the trials that will come your way (see second paragraph). You need His love, which comes from being forgiven.

Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” If God’s mercies are new every morning, shouldn’t yours be as well?

The Good Stuff or the God Stuff

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry...” – 1 Samuel 15:23


When I was a little girl safety for children wasn’t where it is today. There were no age limit on toys, no electrical outlet covers, and cars had cigarette lighters even in the back seat where the kids sat. My parents had to become the FDA, EPA, and CPS agencies, in addition to being parents. One of the things I heard repeatedly was “Faithie, leave that lighter alone! You’ll get burned!”

But it was pretty. When you pushed it in, it would glow bright red! And it popped out when it was done! POP! I loved to hear that sound. It was like having my own forbidden toy. When they’d go in the grocery store and leave me in the car (yes, we did that back then!), I’d push in the lighter and count to see how long before POP! Out it would come! The temptation was too great.

One day while they were in the grocery I decided to pretend I was smoking. I’d seen my parents do it, and it looked cool! I pushed in the lighter, and POP! I picked it up, and pretending I had a cigarette in my mouth, touched it to the side of my face right beside my lips! I still have the scar from the burn today.

We often seek to chase after temptations when we should just be obedient to what we’re told. Saul had the same problem. In 1 Samuel 15:2-3 God spoke to Saul and told him he was going to punish Amalek for what he’d done to Israel. Through that punishment, Saul was instructed to go and attack Amalek, and to “…utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”

God’s rule was simple. Kill them all. Spare nothing. But Saul found the temptation to be too great. When he saw the possessions of the Amalekites, he found things his heart desired. I can just see Saul going into the land, and saying “Wow! Look how fluffy and fat these sheep are! Oh, my! Look how large the cattle are! I could sure enjoy myself a good steak from one of those cows!” No doubt when he saw the oxen he must have thought “It would be a shame to destroy such strong animals – especially when I could use them!”

We often choose the “good stuff” over the “God stuff”. God’s rewards to Saul were cut off because Saul decided to be disobedient to the commands of God and spared the best of the livestock, and even King Agag. Instead of receiving God’s favor and blessings, Saul brought upon himself punishment. God instructed Samuel, a prophet who dearly loved Saul, to speak to him about his sin. In 1 Samuel 15:23 he is told “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”

Rebellion is a form of idolatry. Rebellion occurs when we remove God from the throne of our hearts and take His seat. We make ourselves god of our life. When we choose to disobey, we are punished just as Saul was. Saul was dethroned by God and replaced by King David for his sin. Without God’s favor, Saul’s joy was gone. He became emotionally scarred by the punishment he received. We carry the scars from such disobedience too much like I carry the scar from the cigarette lighter.


Lord, help us to remember that your ways and your thoughts are higher than ours. Help us to trust in your will rather than our own. We know that only you see the future and know what is best. Thank you Father for seeking to give us peace, joy, and prosperity. Forgive us when we get in the way of those blessings. Have mercy and patience on our sinful hearts Father! Grant us wisdom so that we may become your obedient children. Amen.

Nesting Dolls

“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” – John 14:20


I have a Russian friend who owns a set of nesting dolls. These dolls are wooden shells with other dolls nested inside. They are brightly painted with lots of details. On the outside is a large old woman, called the Babooshka. Within here are other dolls, male and female, that represent a family of dolls. Inside the last doll is a small baby doll that doesn’t open.

These dolls are something she cherishes. The Babooshka represents her Grandmother, a woman who cared for her and loved her so deeply. Each doll inside she has named to be another member of her family.

As I looked at the dolls I noticed some have hands, and some don’t. The ones that do have hands have them painted on and simply touching the side of their garment. They’re not holding anything, not carrying anything. In America when we think of family, we think of the father as the provider, the children doing chores, and the mother cooking dinner. But in my friend’s culture, family is love first, and duty second.

In John 14 Jesus is explaining to his disciples that He will soon leave them. He says He will not leave them “orphans” because He will send the Holy Spirit to comfort them. In verse 20 He says “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” The metaphor in this statement reminds me of those nesting dolls.

God the Father is the larger outside doll with Jesus inside of Him. In John 14:31 Jesus says that God is greater than He is, and He does the will of His father who sent him.

We are inside Jesus. John 15:6-9 says that if we abide in Jesus, we can ask whatever we desire and it will be given us. He becomes our provider too. If we abide in Jesus we abide in His love for us – a love without condition. It also says that if we do not abide in him, we will be cast out as a withered vine, and burned.

Within us lies the last of the nesting dolls – the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Guide. This is where the analogy of the nesting dolls breaks down.

In the nesting doll family, each member is stronger than the inward member. But the Holy Spirit is our strength. He is greater, yet has been given as a gift to us by God the Father. The Holy Spirit is our power (Acts1:8), our comforter (Acts 9:31), our guide (John 14:26), the spirit of truth (John 14:17), the giver of our spiritual gifts (Hebrews 2:4), our seal (Ephesians 1:13), and our connection to the love of God (Romans 5:5).

Isn’t it good to know that we are covered in such strong layers of power as our Father God, our Lord Jesus, and even on this earth abide with the Holy Spirit?


Father, I praise you for you have created in and around me a great power. You are the lifter of my head, and the love that abides in me. How wonderful you are and how wonderful your creations! Thank you Father that you have found us worthy of such lavish affection. Thank you Lord Jesus that you did not abandon us, but sent your Holy Spirit to abide with us in a world where we are continually persecuted. Thank you that all the power we need is ours through faith. Amen.

OCCUPATION: HELPER

“And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” – Genesis 2:18

I would like to have been a fly on the wall the day Adam was created. The animals must have watched in amazement and wondered “God, why didn’t you give him a female?” I can just see the female zebra whispering in her male counterpart’s ear “You know, he’s all alone!” Rumors of the single man must have traveled through Eden!

Can you imagine Adam’s realization as he named the animals and saw they all had female partners and yet, he didn’t? As each rooster and hen, bull and cow, buck and doe, stallion and mare came to him for naming. At some point he must have thought, “Wait a minute! Where’s my mate? Why am I alone?”

God sees the past, present and future all at once. That’s part of his omnipresence. He never intended not to make woman. He just waited till Adam had things under control. The garden had been planted, the animals named, a homestead created, the laws created, and Adam was walking in the garden with God every day. When the time was right, God created woman.

Genesis 2:18 tells us two things. First, it says “It is not good that man should be alone”. God saw that man needed someone. He didn’t want him to be alone. I know I’ve often heard people talk about how being single is a better than being married. Well, let me step out on a limb here and tell you, God disagrees! He says it’s not good for a man to be alone. The creation of woman also shows that man should wait on God to give him a wife – not to chase one down!

The rest of the verse tells us why it’s not good for man to be alone. It says “I will make him a helper comparable to him.” God saw that man needed a helper – someone to tend to his needs and help him with his daily life. A wife should never be the controller of the home. Now many of you know me and know that I’m an award winning, badge carrying, licensed control freak. Yet, this is Bible truth, and I’ll be the first to admit it. The husband’s position is to lead. A wife should only be the helper – the assistant if you will.

Take a look at how man was made first, and put in charge of everything. It was Adam who was told to tend the Garden of Eden. It was Adam who was told to name the animals. It was Adam who was told what to eat and not to eat. And it was Adam God called for when Eve and he had eaten of the forbidden fruit. What was woman put in charge of? Nothing!

Ladies, I know this is tough to swallow, but the truth often is. If you’re trying to lead your household, and not letting your husband have the reigns, you are out of God’s will. We weren’t created to be the head, but the helper.

Yet consider this: women were made with spare parts. Adam got along just fine without the rib God used to make woman. He didn’t need it. It was simply a spare part. But what Adam could not live without, in God’s eyes, was Eve. Although women may not be the head of the household, we are the neck! The head is very much dependant on us. Be the best neck you can be and you’ll find you like the things the head decides much better!

Can You Praise Him in This?

“You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” - Job 2:10

The story of Job is one dear to my heart. Here’s a man so worthy of God’s love and attention that God himself offers him as a test to His enemy, Satan. Job 1:8 quotes God as saying to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

First, God calls Job His servant. This indicates that Job was not only a man who was upright and obedient, but he was also busy doing God’s work.

Secondly, God found no other like him on the entire earth. He was blameless – having nothing wrong between him and God, nothing to confess and nothing to be forgiven.

Thirdly, he feared God, which means he respected God out of the love in his heart. He shunned or turned from evil because he wanted nothing more than to be the man God wanted him to be. He was focussed on God like an archer aimed at a target.

And what was God’s reward for this obedience? He allowed him to suffer. He turned him over to Satan and said only “do not lay a hand on his person” meaning he couldn’t kill Job, but he could do anything else his evil heart could dream up.

Satan got to work. In only one day, he sent an enemy army that killed all Job’s donkeys and oxen. To make it look like God was the one pulling the evil strings, he next sent fire from Heaven to burn his sheep and the servants with them. Before Job could digest what had just happened, he learned that another army of bandits had stolen all his camels and killed more servants. And as the final straw Satan would place on Job’s back, all his sons and daughters were killed in a mighty wind that blew down the house they were in.

Could you praise God in this?
Could you praise God when your job is gone?
Could you praise God when your car is stolen?
Could you praise God when your friends and coworkers are gone?
Can you praise Him when your children are killed?
Can you praise God when all the evil of Satan is unleashed on you?

Job did.

The fact that Job did praise God rings of his relationship of trust and obedience to God. Being able to praise God when you can’t see a way out of the storm is more important in your faith walk that being able to praise God when you’re on the mountaintop. It’s when you’re suffering that God is pruning you. It’s when you’re in pain that God is shaving off the rough edges. It’s when you can’t find the answers that God is telling you to trust in His understanding above your own.

Praising God is a practice that perfects your faith. It does so because as you praise Him you realize He is actively working in all things.

When you realize that God is at work all around you, and that He really does have it all under control, peace comes.

Peace comes when you realize that you need not work to make your situation better because God has it all under control.

God is at work.