From Trouble to Peace

And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. (Mark 4:24)

I quoted David Maitland’s book Looking Both Ways in a sermon a few weeks ago. Maitland suggested, “God may be our immediate troubler as well as our ultimate peace.” I love Maitland’s quote because I have a black belt in worry, and the quote reminds me that all things come from God, and when trouble comes my way, God will guide me safely through and back to peace. I bet I am not the only one who needs reminding that God is there in moments of trouble.

In the article “A Technique to Help You Stay Centered in the Face of Disturbance,” David Gerken asks, “What needs saving?” Gerken believes what needs saving is our conscious and “our true self.” As a person of faith, I think our authentic self needs to be saved, as found in our Triune God. We spend so much time running on autopilot, not realizing the myriad of influences directing our decision-making. Only when we are emotionally and spiritually conscious can we stop the autopilot and intentionally become our true, God-centered selves.

Throughout my ministry, there have been hundreds of times when caring Christian leaders disagreed and struggled over what direction to take in controversial situations. For example, the year I was my Presbytery’s representative to the denomination’s General Assembly, I felt God the troubler. Do I make my decisions based on my personal view, guided by the Holy Spirit, what is in the best interest of the denomination, or do I represent the majority of the Presbytery? These challenging questions called me to be prayerfully conscious to be in tune with what the Holy Spirit desired.

Prayerfully handing the challenge over to God helped me focus my attention and remain true to myself and my faith in God. In your moments where you are troubled, don’t try to fix it all by yourself. If you try, you will be influenced by factors other than your integrity and faith. Instead, take time to prayerfully focus so you can be one with your true self. Then, you will focus on God and make faithful decisions. God, the troubler, becomes the God of peace as we learn to face trouble with faithful deliberation and divine trust.