5 Things I Love about the Lord
He's my PEACE when there is no peace. Jeremiah was having a moment with the leaders of God's people. They were supposed to be lovingly caring for His precious children, but they were simply putting bandaids on huge gaping wounds. "They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace" (Jeremiah 6:14). The Lord alone provides true peace: peace with God, peace within our conflicted selves, and peace with one another. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).
He's NEAR when I'm brokenhearted. If you've ever been truly heartbroken, my guess is you felt closer to God than ever. Maybe not right away. Maybe not in the very worst fog of your grief. But at some point in your deep despair, He became so real you could feel it. "He is near to the brokenhearted and he rescues the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).
He HELPS me when I'm in trouble. "Every day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). Sounds about right to me. But no matter the trouble—emotional, financial, relational, physical—His Word has the answer I need. "God is our refuge and our strength. He is an ever present help in times of trouble" (Psalm 46:1).
His JOY is my strength. The joy of the Lord is real. Traces of it can be found even in those heartbroken and troubled times. And in the good times? The Lord just shows up and "makes our joy complete" (John 15:11). There's nothing in this world like complete joy in the Lord. "The joy of the Lord is our strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).
He LOVES this messy, mixed up world. Sometimes I give up on the world. Sometimes it seems too far gone to be redeemed. But the Lord has never given up on this world. He came to save us in the midst of the mess: "God demonstrates his love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He doesn't wait for us to get it right before He comes in and "makes all things new" (Revelation 21:5).
