God, when life feels chaotic and out of control, remind me that You are near and unshaken. I don’t want the kind of peace the world gives—I want the peace only You can provide. Help me to trust Your presence more than my plans, and to anchor my heart in Your promises. Thank You for being my calm in the middle of every storm.
Well, hey friends, welcome back to another edition of the Weekday podcast. This is episode 17 of 25, thinking about what Only God can do. And this is an intentional lead up actually to Easter. And if you haven't made Easter plans yet, please go to eastern sugarhill.com and look at all the times and gatherings that are unique to help us get our hearts ready to celebrate that Jesus beat death. It starts with Maundy Thursday. We have a special gathering. We're going to observe communion together and talk about why that's so important. And then on Easter Sunday we have gatherings at 8, 9:15, 11 and 5pm there. They're all going to be incredible. And that also includes a special online experience for Good Friday. So go to eastern sugarhill.com well, let me ask you a simple question today. What is your go to move when your life gets stressful and we all experience it? Stress happens. What do you do? Do you power through? Do you shut down? Do you reach for a distraction like your phone, a snack, or, you know, just a scroll through social media? Here's the truth that I think all of us already know. The world doesn't offer real peace. It actually offers numbing. But what does Jesus offer? Well, he actually offers something entirely different. In fact, just on Sunday, Pastor Chuck was talking about what only God can do, that only God can change nature. And Jesus speaks to this. In John 14:27, Jesus says, Peace, I leave you, my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. I think that's a good place to pause. Jesus is talking to his disciples right before the cross. He's facing betrayal and injustice and death. And yet he's giving peace. He's not giving the kind of peace that comes from everything going right. He's not the kind of peace that's tied to how much is in your bank account or how calm your schedule is. He gives a deeper peace. This is the kind of peace that anchors your soul even when the storm doesn't stop. In Philippians 4, 6, 7, Paul echoes this promise. He says, do not be anxious about anything. But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. That phrase transcends all understanding is a phrase that I absolutely love. It means the peace doesn't make sense on paper. Like, you still have bills to pay. You're still waiting on the doctor's call. You still feel that ache of what didn't work out, and yet you're not unraveling. That's the kind of peace that only God can give. Peace, honestly, is not the absence of problems. It's the presence of Jesus in the middle of the problems. And I'm telling you, I've watched people walk through unthinkable tragedy, whether it's loss or illness or uncertainty, and still say, I don't know how to explain it, but I have peace. That's not willpower. That's not personality. That's the spirit of God showing up exactly doing at the moment where they need him the most. Isaiah 26, verse 3 says, you will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. So the question is, well, how do we step into that? How do we actually receive that peace? And here's the simple path. One is to pause and pray. Don't stuff the stress. Use prayer as a way to surrender it. Two, thank God even when it's hard. One of the things that we have seen is that gratitude shifts our perspective. Number three, trust his presence more than your plan. His peace is not tied to the outcome. It's tied to his character. And so you don't have to pretend that everything's fine. You don't have to remember you're not alone in it. You just have to remember that it's not just you, that Jesus is there with you. Only God can meet you in the middle of the chaos and speak calm over your soul. So today, whatever you're facing, whatever you're waiting on, whatever feels out of control, breathe this in. That God is with you. That God is for you. And God, he's not panicking. He has peace with your name on it. Well, thanks again for being on the weekday podcast with us. If you want to go deeper in your walk in God's peace, check out the resource tab@eastastern sugarhill.com, you'll find other prayer guides and devotionals and many, many other res. And of course, at eastern sugarhill.com you'll find all the schedules for all things Easter. Have a great day. We'll see you back here soon.
