Have you ever been tempted to abandon hope and forfeit your peace?
I love Elisabeth Elliot’s writing. She is profound and practical – all in one.
Though she passed away in 2015, her books continue to impact women all around the world.
She doesn’t sugar-coat the difficulties of life (she certainly had more than her share! Read part of her story here.) But rather than fixating on those difficulties, she lifts our eyes to Jesus.
In her beautiful, no-nonsense way of writing, she cuts through tired clichés and gives tools to help us live out our faith.
This morning, I picked up my favorite Elisabeth Elliot book: Keep a Quiet Heart (affiliate link). As always, her words both challenged and comforted.
Especially when I read this entry inspired by Joseph Scriven’s beautiful hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus“:
“O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.”
Don’t Forfeit Your Peace
“Prayerlessness is one of many ways by which we can easily forfeit the peace God wants us to have,” Elisabeth writes concerning the hymn. But then she lists other behaviors that undermine a settled heart, such as:
- Resent God’s ways.
- Worry as much as possible.
- Pray only about things you can’t manage by yourself.
- Refuse to accept what God gives.
- Look for peace elsewhere than in Him.
- Try to rule your own life.
- Doubt God’s word.
- Carry all your cares.
The Peace Antidote
“If you’d rather not forfeit your peace,” Elisabeth says, “here are eight ways to find it (antidotes to the above eight)”:
- “Great peace have they which love thy law; and nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:165 KJV).
- “Don’t worry about anything whatever” (Philippians 4:6 PHILLIPS).
- “In everything make your requests known to God in prayer and petition with thanksgiving. Then the peace of God…will guard your hearts” (Philippians 4:6,7 NEB).
- “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…and you will find rest” (Matthew 11:29 NIV).
- “Peace is my parting gift to you, my own peace, such as the world cannot give” (John 14:27 NEB).
- “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15 NIV).
- “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13 KJV).
- “Cast all your cares on him for you are his charge” (1 Peter 5:7 NEB).
My Peace, I Give You
I love the verses Elisabeth compiled, don’t you?
Forfeiting my peace comes far too easily to me. Just let life get hard (and a little unfair)…just let responsibilities pile up (along with pressing deadlines)….and suddenly, I find myself abandoning peace and spiraling into fear.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Because here’s the secret, you guys…
We’re not alone.
It’s not all up to us.
We are not helpless and we are not hopeless.
If God is for us, what in life can truly be against us (Romans 8:31)?
“Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4 KJV)
So no matter what you’re facing today…no matter which of the eight peace-killers listed at the top of the page are trying to hold you hostage right now…
Take a moment and read through the eight peace-giving verses listed as well.
Read them out loud as you focus your heart on the Lord. Renounce fear and frustration as well as any self-reliance. For the Prince of Peace wants to give you what you need today. Perfect peace to cast out all fear.
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Isaiah 26:3 NLT
{ For more on Elisabeth Elliot, read this beautiful tribute in Christianity Today }
I’d love to hear from you…In what area do you need more of God’s peace today?