God's Peace

There are times and places when the presence of God’s peace can unexpectedly touch you.

Riding on the train, from Bonn to Basel, the other day, I was about 20 minutes away from my destination. The vineyards of southern Germany were passing by my window. It was a warm sunny day with puffy white clouds that can trigger the thoughts of imagined animals and things moving across an azure sky.

I was in my own little world. Had just finished working on my laptop and thinking about the busy week ahead. The five hour train ride was coming to an end. My iPod was playing some mellow music, when the Holy Spirit gave me the most incredible sense of thanksgiving, peace, and well-being.

It seemed that the Holy Spirit was reminding me of how blessed I really am. Having two wonderful sons, Shawn and William, an “adopted daughter” in Stephanie, William’s wife, and two wonderful grand kids, Antonella and Bradley, with another one on the way in October, Haley.

The Holy Spirit seemed to also be reminding me of how God made it possible for me to fulfill my dream of serving Him by being a missionary in Europe, by helping kids know Him and building churches that will have an impact on their city, country and continent. Being able to travel to the “utter most parts of the world” to tell others who may have never heard the name of Jesus, how much He loves them. Tell them how Jesus Christ made the ultimate and final sacrifice to make our eternal salvation in heaven available to us.

“How Does He Do That?”
It struck me that the God of the universe, the God of all creation, who is love, could actually know me and show me His love. And then freely express it at the most interesting times. I thought, “How does He do that?”

This isn't experience isn't limited to missionaries. You can have this too. The Bible says that God is no respecter of persons. Simply said, what He will do for me; He will do for you and visa versa.

Maybe Never?
When was the last time you had one of those special God filled moments? Has it been a long time? Maybe never? How do you make it happen? Well I don’t think you can “make” it happen. But you can create an environment where God knows He is allowed to be involved in your life and love you.

How do you do that? Ask Him. It’s really that simple. The Bible also tells us that we have not because we ask not. God is always listening. But he won’t ever go against your wishes if you choose not to have Him in your life. He’s waiting for an invitation from you. So out of your mouth, out of your heart, ask Him to be part of your life. He would love it and so will you.

Do It Now
It doesn’t have to be a “formal” or “churchy” prayer. You can work out the “details” later. After all, it’s going to be a long relationship. And He already knows you and has been waiting a long time for you to ask Him into your heart. So do it now. You won’t ever regret it. In fact, you’ll be amazed at how close you can become to God.

All of God’s blessings,
Rev. Lawrence Blakeslee
Missionary to Europe