On August 31, 2013 I was trampled by a horse and nearly lost my life. On August 30, 2013 just 24 hours earlier, I posted these thoughts. These are still my thoughts, feelings, emotions … the music of my soul.
“The will of God will not take you where the peace of God will not keep you. “ I was hooking up an old TV and testing to make sure I got all the wires plugged into their right sockets (yellow to yellow, red to red – you know – rocket science) When the picture and sound arrived at the same time, a man with a slight southern accent was saying those words. “The will of God will not take you where the peace of God will not keep you. “ I remember hearing those words in years past, but I don’t remember them resonating so strongly. Do you know what I’m thinking? Here’s one thought Psalms 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.” I am too often caught up in the blur and noise that 
defines ‘my life’ I forget that to hear God, I have to be still and spend real quiet time with him.
A friend and I were relating surprising ways that God provides direction and confirmation when we are walking in his will. Decisions we make affect not just today but all our tomorrows too and when things don’t go right, we second guess our choices and our courage falters. When everything goes right, it’s easy to feel like we’re on the right path and trust God to keep leading. We readily embrace his promises. We believe no truer words were spoken than what David wrote in Psalm 145:13 “The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.”
Then circumstances change; an unexpected expense, appliances just stop working, a relationship breaks down, and all that we were so confident of last week is suddenly questionable. Where is our trust then? I know just how you feel. I walk that path with you. My inner peace thunders toward turbulence. In those times I have to remind myself to trust God in the dark for what he promised in the light. Feelings are fickle. If you don’t believe me, you can put that statement to the test yourself. Carry a little notebook with you for just one day and keep track of your emotions and how you feel at various times throughout the day. You will see your feelings run a marathon of ‘feelings’ up and down the keyboard all day. High, low, major, minor, flat, sharp – all music of the soul. Although feelings can help direct our thoughts and actions, we can’t trust them as concrete evidence that we are on the right track or not. This is probably far outside what this scripture means, but I think we do need to remember that God’s promises are true even when we struggle. Psalm 119:140 “My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.” Trust God in the dark for what he promised in the light.
Life is a precarious roller coaster ride. Things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. There is a passage that tells us that in Mark 4:19 “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”
One thing to keep in mind always is that all good things come from God. James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Let’s end here today – have a productive day blessed with all good things. John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
May you experience blessings of peace, joy, and hope from God in 2016. Happy New Year!
Because of Grace we Press On