fasting-empty-plate-11

WANT SOME PEACE WITH THAT FAST?

am sure that there have been some days during this fast where you have lost your peace. Maybe you experienced stress or anxiety from people around you. Maybe it was some situation that is bearing down on you. -OR- Maybe you were irritable and caused someone else to loose their peace. Whatever the case the third redemptive name we are going to talk about is this:

JEHOVAH SHALOM – The Lord is my peace (Judges 6:24)

The story that we get this redemptive name from is that of Gideon. Israel had being oppressed by the Midianites for 7 years and the bible tells us that they “Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.”(v6) Isn’t that just like us? Our situation turns bad and then goes to worse and then goes to even worse and finally … we cry out to God about it. Our man Gideon lived in so much anxiety and fear that he was cowering under ground level in a winepress threshing his wheat. Then I just love what happens right in the middle of this! The angel of the Lord appears to Gideon and says: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” The angel of the Lord knew who Gideon was, but Gideon didn’t know who Gideon was. He was the weakest in his clan and his clan was the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh.

Gideon was in an impossible situation, he was full of fear, stress and anxiety racked his body, he had no self worth or confidence and he wasn’t even sure if God heard any of his prayers. Then God picked Him out, declared him a “Mighty Warrior” and then asked him to save the whole nation. The angel of the Lord continued to try and convince Gideon that he was God’s chosen to do the impossible and Gideon continued to tell Him He had the wrong kid. But, all of a sudden in verse 22, Gideon’s eyes were opened and He realized that God was powerful enough to do whatever He wanted to through even the weakest. It was there that he built an altar and called it “The Lord Is Peace”.

We love to think that peace where you are lying on a beach on some resort, with no worries, no issues, no responsibilities and no where you have to be. If you have ever been there it is great, however, that is not where you need the Lord to be your peace is it? No, you are already at peace and that is not where we live our daily lives. We need the Lord to be our peace right in the middle of the hairiest of situations and then stay there all the way through to the other side. After Gideon “saw the light”, signed up for the Lord’s army and created an alter with God being his peace, what do you think happened next? Yep, it got worse! Gideon followed God’s plan and the whole village brought him outside to killed him! How about that? That’s when we need peace! As a matter of fact God’s Peace stayed with him and brought this weak little Gideon from the weakest clan even more trials. God’s peace brought him and his tiny army of 300 face to face with a 120K man army. God’s peace worked through him and his men to defeat the midianites and then get this … The whole nation experienced peace for 40 years.

Through this fast, fight to get God’s peace on your life. Ask him for it. Ask him to show it you. Ask him what you must do to make it happen. He longs to give it to you, don’t get in the way. So, here’s the question?

Q. HOW HARD ARE YOU WILLING TO FIGHT TO GET THE PEACE OF GOD?

How hard are you willing to fight to get:
Peace in you marriage?
Peace in your finances?
Peace in your relationship?
Peace in your mind?
Peace in your situations?

Fight hard. Live well. Happy Fasting!
P. Sean

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