Skip to main content

"The path to peace is paved with prayer."

A thought by Max Lucado from his book. Trade Your Cares for Calm (p. xi). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

I haven’t even gotten through the introduction to this book yet but I thought this might be just what you needed today.  

Max says, “Henri Nouwen tells the story of a family of trapeze artists known as the Rodleighs. He traveled with the Rodleighs for a time, watching them fly through the air with elegant poise. When he asked one of the flyers the secret of successful acrobatic flight, the athlete gave this reply:

“The secret is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. When I fly . . ., I have simply to stretch out my arms and hands and wait for Joe [my catcher] to catch me and pull me safely over the apron. . . . The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. I am not supposed to catch Joe. It’s Joe’s task to catch me. If I grabbed Joe’s wrists, I might break them, or he might break mine, and that would be the end for both of us. A flyer must fly, and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.”

Max goes on, “In the great trapeze act of salvation, God is the Catcher; we are the flyers. We trust. We rely solely upon God’s ability to catch us. As we do, a wonderful thing happens: we find peace. We find joy. We find it is possible to be anxious for nothing.

“If you’ve been trembling on a tightrope of fear and worry, may I suggest the best solution ever? A trade. An exchange: your cares for God’s calm. You’ll fly a lot freer without allowing worries to weigh you down. And in their place, you’ll receive the Lord’s mercy, goodness, and peace.

“Are you ready to worry less and trust more? The path to peace is paved with prayer.

“Rather than react to circumstances with clenched hands, reach out to the Father with outstretched arms. He’s waiting to catch you, take hold of your anxieties, and in the process, trade your cares for his calm.”

Philippians 4:6–8, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”

He is ready and wanting to trade your cares for his calm? 


Yes, yes!

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

“Sometimes we think we’re stuck simply because things are hard.”

A thought by Matt Perman, from his book, How to Get Unstuck (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the That is a possible trap for many, isn’t it? Matt says, “But if you’re continuing to make progress and aren’t experiencing huge snags, you’re not stuck. Rather, you’re in a dip. “A dip is a temporary hard slog that you will get through if you keep pushing and don’t give up. And pushing through the hard slog is actually the fastest route to the destination. In these cases, you will be especially tempted to bail. Be discerning and able to identify that you’re in a legitimate dip and you’re not a failure.” Matt says another trap to be careful of, “Some people are stuck and don’t know it.” He goes on, “Everything can be going your way, going smoothly, and going quickly. Everything feels and seems wonderful. Yet... you are still headed toward a dead end, a form of getting stuck, if you are leaving God out of t...
Post a Comment
Read more

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life.   It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed.   Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life.   Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you.   You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good.   Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...
Post a Comment
Read more