At dusk—shortly before sunset—the colors of the sky became more precise and clear for a few brief moments, and then a quiet peace took over. The colors became muted and soft, and even the air somehow became more gentle as the sun eased down.”
–Paul Bagdon (Stallions at Burnt Rock)
“When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?”
–Job 34:29 (NKJV)
—————————
Since the first of the year I have been writing about having a quiet heart. With all the turmoil in the world and in this country we desperately need a quiet heart. Tomorrow, I am sure will bring about more dissatisfaction, more turmoil, more riots. In the midst of all how can we have a quiet heart? As I have already mentioned in past “Echoes” that we need to believe in God, we need to trust Him in the midst of our life’s situations.
I would venture to say that almost everyone on the face of the earth would like to have a quiet heart. They seek after it in many ways from drugs, to false religions, to counseling, to entertainment and recreation, and even to violence. For it is the absence of the quiet heart that leads to violence. Peace eludes us, no matter the alternative a person tries. The answer only lies in the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Ironically, so much of the violence is the antichrist.
One reason for the lack of peace and the quiet heart is that people do not want to turn to Jesus. Oh, they might mention Him, they might even go to church, but they never entirely surrender themselves wholly to Him. They might mix what He says with something else, or they might give an opinion disagreeing with what Jesus says, but they will not give them their heart, so that the Holy Spirit can bring peace to it. To be at peace and rest in the midst of turmoil one must give Christ total allegiance.
“Half our troubles in this matter [a troubled heart] lie in the fact that the world is too much with us; we are in the midst of it, we are immersed by it all and we are lost in the details. So what the Bible really does with us, in the first instance, is just to take hold of us and drag our attention away from the immediate scene to God. This is not escapism, because having got us to confront God and His Son, it brings us back to the problem and then it enables us to overcome it.”
–D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
I like what Lloyd-Jones says, come to Christ. Take your eyes away from and get your mind away from all the turmoil in your life and around you and put them on the solidness of God’s Word and the salvation offered through His Son. When we give our whole attention to Christ we then can face the world with a calm assurance.
Because of Jesus Christ we don’t have to grope in the darkness of this world. We don’t have to grovel in despair over our situation in life, nor fret about tomorrow. Right relationship with Christ will not only bring quietness to your anxious heart but it will provide light for your steps. He is our peace; He is the light of our soul; He is the restorer of quietness in our heart. Don’t have a troubled heart, go to Christ and let Him relieve it. Lloyd-Jones writes, “I can never be at peace truly until I am in the right relationship to God, and the only one who can put me in that right relationship is the Lord Jesus Christ.” Quit trying the world’s ways and methods to quiet your heart, it will not happen. Only through Jesus can there be truly the quiet heart.
When we have the peace and quietness that comes from the Holy Spirit we will have light in the darkest part of the night or in the darkest dungeons. When we have that quietness we can follow the example found in Acts 16:25, “But at midnightPaul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (NKJV). Turmoil in the world, adverse situations, circumstances beyond our control–none of these will matter. Instead we will have joy, peace, quietness and will be able to sing praises in any situation.