Friday, September 11, 2009

In the Darkness of the Night


Have you ever been so aware of God that you were changed?
My friend has been struggling with the pain of a broken relationship for over a year.  A few nights ago, my friend woke up and knew God was present. In the darkness of the night, God gave my friend peace. That said, my friend had received the peace of knowing the presence of God; however, the pain of the broken relationship had created an emotional upheaval. While most people would never have known my friend was struggling,

God knew.
God came.
God liberated my friend from the emotional upheaval.
How do we know God is present?

A peace, that passes all human understanding, is present.
The peace of God . . .
Connecting with the pain of one individual . . .
Healing . . .
Restoring . . .
Relational . . .
The Shalom of God . . . peace . . . . well-being.
Exodus tells the story of the people of God being far from peace.  They were freed from slavery; however, their oppressors chased after them. The problem of their pursuers stressed them until they could not move on. Moses explained that God would fight for them.
Moses answered the people,

"Do not be afraid.
Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.
The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.
The people had to make a choice.

Did they believe the power of God was greater than their problems?
Were they willing to be in peace in the midst of an unrelenting powerful problem?
Humanity is not free from problems. Even so, the liberating power of God frees humanity from the power of problems. Peace comes when an individual relies on the power of God rather than becoming entangled with the problem.

Pray: Spirit of God . . . free me from the power of problems.

Learning with you to KICK START the day
 . . . intentionally meeting with God,

Pastor Kerrie


(written by Kerrie Palmer © 2009 All Rights Reserved)
kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnville, OR 97128~503.472.8476 ~www.hillchurch.com
Posted by