Have you ever looked in the mirror and cringed? (Hand raised over here.) Did you know that God cares about our beauty?! We each have our own physical beauty- or did have! But there is a deep beauty that age can’t steal. In fact, age can beautify us! Cultivating a lifelong habit of trusting God makes us lovely on the inside. And this inner beauty is of great importance to God.
“The unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.” 1 Peter 3:4-5
God greatly values gentleness which is dealing with people in a kind manner, with humility and consideration. He counts inner quiet as a beautiful thing. When we cease to fuss, worry, argue, and fret, but instead choose to cling to our present, strong, and tender God, he notices.
So how do we cultivate this quiet attitude? Some people suggest a meditation method that requires you to clear your mind of everything in order to reach a peaceful state. Have you ever tried it? Let me suggest a better way to reach a peaceful state of mind. King David had plenty of scary things happen to him, yet he found peace in God. He knew God was with him in every situation and he looked forward to Heaven where there would be no more troubles. He found that God gives us hope, which puts our hearts at rest.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way…There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.” Psalm 46:1-4
David knew we need to stop our brains from bouncing from one worry to another. Instead, we direct our thoughts to our safe Refuge. We find strength to face our problems when we remind ourselves that God is close, an ever-present help. Our close God cares about our trouble. He is supremely powerful and has a wonderful plan for us now and later. Our future is peace forever and that peace begins now!
“Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done, he makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.” Psalm 46:6-9
So right now, when we’re tempted to fret, God tells us to be still. Literally, hang limp, let go, leave alone. In that letting go mindset we direct our thoughts to acknowledging that our kind, strong God is in control. He is executing his good plan for us and for the world.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
We recognzie that God is the powerful God, yet he is tenderly with us protecting us from harm.
“The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:11
King David learned throughout his turbulent life to mindfully control his thoughts, directing them from dispair to trust in God. He put aside pride and subjected himself to the Lord. He pictured himself as a toddler who no longer fretfully pesters his mother to breastfeed when he sits on her lap, but behaves himself and calmly sits still. He quieted his raging fears by putting his hope in God. He waited for God to help him soon, and looked forward to God’s forever place of rest.
“My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty;
I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother;
Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.” Psalm 131:1,2-3
Every human longs for rest which includes peace, tranquility, and comfort. But we can’t have rest without repentance. We can’t have quietness without trust.
“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.’” Isaiah 30:15
We enjoy peace because we trust in God who alone is righteous. None of our good acts are enough to buy us peace. God, himself, credits us with his righteousness when we put our faith in him. His righteousness gives us well-being, calmness, and security.
“The fruit of that righteousness [the LORD’s righteousness] will be peace;
its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.” Isaiah 32:17
The Scriptures tell us that “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:6 “And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.” Romans 4:23-25
Are you trusting and living in peace?
Images not credited I have produced by Ai. Some took a lot of hand editing and compositing, others were almost directly from Ai. They aren’t my photos, but they did require my work.