Prince of Peace.

I was tempted to be anxious and fear concerning circumstances in life.
Peace is what I needed.
All week I focused on scriptures to encourage my soul. It was so difficult for me to rest in the Lord and have faith that God would hear my prayer. I would pray, but was overcome with doing an analysis of possibilities of the outcome and was ok to submit to God's perfect plan but my heart truly wanted my preferred outcome.
 I believe God does answer prayer but also adversity is allowed by God and it all is working for good and His glory, In this case, I prayed that any adversity would be held back or even placed on me instead of the person. It is harder to see those you love suffer than suffering yourself.

Christmas in the past has not always been peaceful to me. I want the season to be peaceful but I can sin in my attitude when the pressure is on to create a calm festive atmosphere. Pressure of the worldly intentions that prevail can get to me, so I have a tendency to overcompensate and have a negative way contrary to what I want to create. So having the pressure of the added uncertainty was probably the most intense battle agents the power of darkness that wanted to crush and discourage any hope of a good outcome.

The first verse brought to mind since it was the Christmas season included
 the"Prince of Peace."

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

As I prayed I recalled the verse
"They do not fear bad news;
    they confidently trust the Lord to care for them." (Psalm 112:7 NLT)



So I was growing expectant in faith and trusting a good report and answer to prayer,

I read chapters of "Trusting God when Life Hurts" by Jerry Bridges to get focused on the biblical response to suffering. I also read of God's steadfast love in the midst of adversity.

"For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,your faithfulness to the clouds." Psalm 57:10



I was calling on God  and it felt as if it was from the depths of a dark pit. I asked God to hear my plea.





Many times I pray for others or communicate with them in a way that wants to lift the burden to minimize the pain instead of meeting them in the middle of the adversity.

 John Piper's book has some encouragement concerning:

Suffering and The Sovereignty of God

by John Piper Chapters 8 and 9 

"We like to give easy answers to try to minimize the pain.
When someone says that they feel God has forsaken them, we think we
must quickly preach the truth that he will never leave us nor forsake us
(Heb. 13:5), or they will fall away and lose their faith.
Part of the problem is that we do not see such pain and deep grief
as normative in the Christian life. Yes, we all know that suffering is normative,
but we don’t take the time to really talk about the pain involved
in suffering."

"God cares about us in the midst of the pain. His goal isn’t just to get us out of the pain to the joy; he also wants us to see that he is for us and with us in the pain. It is true that weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps. 30:5). The morning will dawn and God will remove every tear (Rev. 21:4), but God is not just concerned about the morning, the new day when you can shout for joy. He is with us even in the night when there is nothing but weeping, when the tears are so thick that we can’t see. When we are in the deepest pit and darkness weighs on our souls and God feels so absent that we wonder if he is even real, (Psalm 88 reminds us that he is with us even then.")

"O Lord, God of my salvation;
    I cry out day and night before you.
 Let my prayer come before you;
    incline your ear to my cry!" Ps 88:1-2


I then thought about Jesus and how He is the Prince of Peace and that during the Christmas season it is a good time to refocus my mind and soul on this Peace that passes all understanding.

I recalled a song concerning peace. It is Well

Horatio Spafford suffered the loss of  his son, real estate lost in Chicago fire, and then 4 daughters died during travel over the sea when the ship sank they were traveling. He was said to have written this hymn when traveling to England to meet his wife who was the only one that survived the sinking ship.

He penned that Supernatural Peace  can come only from the cross of Christ.

Someday we may see the details of intricate workings of our trials and pain in the perfect plan of God.

It is Well- Horatio Spadafora
It is well with my soul byJeremy Riddle and Horatio Spafford

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.





Another version of this song  provided peace and assurance that we would get through this adversity whatever the outcome and trust God going forward.

It is Well- Bethel Music

Verse 1
Grander earth has quaked before
Moved by the sound of His voice
Seas that are shaken and stirred
Can be calmed and broken for my regard

Chorus
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well

Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
It is well with me

Verse 2
Far be it from me to not believe
Even when my eyes can't see

And this mountain that's in front of me
Will be thrown into the midst of the sea

Chorus
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well

Bridge x3
So let go my soul and trust in Him
The waves and wind still know His name
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
repeat 3x(increasing in strength and volume)

It is well it is well with my soul x3

Chorus x2-3
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You Lord
Through it all, through it all
It is well with me.
 Bethel Music - It Is Well Lyrics

God cares about us even before we are born and loves us. Each day we have to live has been written before they ever took shape. Awesome God !

Psalm 139

13 For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You.

We read in the Bible of God's covenant love for us and how it will not depart, and how peace will prevail and His compassion toward us.

Isaiah 54:10 (AMP)

10 For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.

Philippian 4:4,6-7

4 Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!

6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.(AMP)