The Way of Peace

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Heb. 13:5

These words were, in sum, spoken to Joshua, Jos_1:5 : “As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” They were spoken also by David to Solomon, 1Ch_28:20 : “David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed; for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” The apostle, in referring to the same promises, feels authorized to use them in giving encouragement to Christians going through trials and persecutions. 

However, a word of clarification; these promises are spoken for those who have chosen to walk with God, and follow His ways. The wicked, the rebellious, the mocker-will find no solace in these verses, because they can only be taken hold of by faith. Those who love this world, and its patterns, have no desire to allow God to guide them or counsel them; they are their own god. The promises of God find a home in the hearts of those who are willing to be led, and corrected by the Word of God.

Paul's words here are an unspoken reference of Jesus' words of exhortation and comfort in Matthew 6:25-34, to take no thought of our life, what we will eat, what we will wear, that God feeds the fowls of the air, and we can't change our stature-this is in God's hands, and God clothes the lilies of the field, and even Solomon was not arrayed better than these. The lesson-God's promises are sure, put away worry. Trust in the Lord, He will not fail us.

Mat 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 
Mat 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 
Mat 6:27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 
Mat 6:28  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 
Mat 6:29  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 
Mat 6:30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 
Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 
Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 
Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 
Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 
​
These promises are also made to those who are patiently bearing affliction or persecution for Christ’s sake; and may be applied to any faithful soul in affliction, temptation, or adversity of any kind. Trust in the Lord with your whole heart, and never lean to your  own understanding; for he hath said, “No, I will never leave thee; not I: I will never, never cast thee off.”

​INSPIRING EXHORTATIONS

So, in summary, we can learn these lessons, and take them as food for our life:
​
Commit your way to God. The evil, the trouble, the anxiety of each day as it comes, is sufficient without perplexing the mind with restless cares about another day. It is uncertain whether you will live to see another day. If you do, it will bring its own trouble, and it will also bring the proper supply of your needs. God will be the same Father then as today, and will make then, as he does now, proper provision for your wants.

Tomorrow will have anxieties and cares of its own, but it will also bring the provision for those cares. Though you will have needs, yet God will provide for them as they occur. Do not, therefore, increase the cares of today by borrowing trouble from the future. Do your duty faithfully now, and depend upon the mercy of God and his divine help for the troubles which are yet to come.

Desire nothing more than what God has given you; and especially covet nothing which God has given to another man, for this is the very spirit of robbery.

The duty of prayer is urged by every consideration. None but God can provide for us; none but He can forgive, and guide, and support us; none but He can bring us into heaven. He is always ready to hear us. The humble He sends not empty away. Those who ask receive, and they who seek find. 

Do not be anxious about the supply of your needs, whether of body, mind, or heart. God knows what you need. If He has given life, will He not maintain it? Does He not care for the birds and flowers? Did He not give His Son, and will He withhold any good? Trust Him and be at peace.

Finally, this verse from Paul, gives sound counsel to us, to guide us in the way of peace:
Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 
Lorna Couillard