How do you find peace when change comes?

We have to trust God in the change or decision and take His advice on it, and the only way we can be sure and certain of that is to have a relationship with Him.

Source: mtolivembc-chickasha.org

Are you someone who doesn't like change? If you are then I imagine the things that have been happening in the United Kingdom over the last few months have been quite unsettling for you. Change isn't necessarily a bad thing; however, how we deal with it could well determine how we feel about it. For instance now the UK has decided to leave Europe or 'BREXIT' as it was called, people can either embrace it, and be the best that they can be on the world stage, or grumble and moan about it and lose the opportunities this may now afford. Either way, the change will happen, and burying one's head in the sand is not the way to make it work. It's exactly the same when change comes in our personal lives too and although some change may be unexpected or uncomfortable, it is never-the-less inevitable. How we handle it will determine the level of stress and anxiety we will go through, which is true whether the change is for better or worse, whether it is imposed on us or whether we ourselves have to make changes.

So how do we handle change when it comes? Well there are a number of things to consider. Firstly we can turn to our family, our husbands or wives, mom's and dad's, brother's and sister's, nan's and granddad’s and if our relationship with them is good then we often find a great support system there. Secondly, we can turn to our friends for help, and if we have good ones who give good advice and we're willing to listen to them, then this can also give us a great deal of support, help and strength to deal with changes. Even if we're lucky enough to be able to get advice from all these people it can still leave us with an uncomfortable or uneasy feeling and in some instances lead to complete turmoil, when what we actually want is peace and assurance in our hearts about any change that comes.

Source: www.makinggodsmile.com

When I have needed to make changes or difficult decisions in my life then the only time I've been able to find that peace and assurance is when I've taken the best advice I've ever been given and followed it. Whenever I do, that peace and assurance never fails to come. So where do I find this amazing advice? Well it's found in the bible in Philippians 4:4-7 which says 'Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.'

Trust me it works, or at least it has for me every time I've done it. The change will still happen, the decision will still have to be made, but by taking our requests to God and trusting Him in them, 'the peace that transcends (or goes beyond) all understanding' doesn't only guard our hearts and minds, but fills them as well. The challenge here though, is that we have to trust God in the change or decision and take His advice on it, and the only way we can be sure and certain of that is to have a relationship with Him. Just like when we take advice from our family or friends, we do that because of our relationship with them, we can do the same with God. How do we make friends? We ask people to be our friends or we spend time with people we want to be our friends, in other words we make the choice who we want to be our friends and then we do something about it, but like any relationship it's a two way thing, and it is exactly the same with our relationship with God.

God has chosen to be our friend and has demonstrated this and His love for us at the cross. All we have to do now is decide if we want Him as our friend, and if we do then we just need to ask Him and invite Him to come and be our friend. If we do that, He will. Amen. The bible tells us of a man who did this. James 2:23 says 'And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,'' and he was called God's friend.' This promise is for us also. John 1:12 says 'Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.'  I pray that you will invite God to be your friend and in doing so find His peace. And if you already know God as your friend, then I encourage you to trust Him in all situations. Ephesians 3:20 tells us; ‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us’. Ephesians 3:21 goes onto say; 'to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen'. May it be so.

And now I leave you with this blessing: Romans 15:13 ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’.

Author: Kevin Hunt

May God bless and enrich your life

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