STANDING IN YOUR LOVE
November 22, 2019
Anxiety is something all of us fight. This past weekend I learned a new song called “Stand in Your Love.” I have played it over and over and over again.
“When darkness tries to roll over my bones
When sorrow comes to steal the joy I own
When brokenness and pain is all I know
Oh, I won't be shaken, no, I won't be shaken
'Cause my fear doesn't stand a chance
When I stand in Your love
My fear doesn't stand a chance
When I stand in Your love
My fear doesn't stand a chance
When I stand in Your love!
Oh, shame no longer has a place to hide
And I am not a captive to the lies
Oh, I'm not afraid to leave my past behind
Oh, I won't be shaken, no, I won't be shaken!
My fear doesn't stand a chance
When I stand in Your love
My fear doesn't stand a chance
When I stand in Your love
My fear doesn't stand a chance
When I stand in Your love!
And there's power that can break off every chain
There's power that can empty out a grave!
There’s resurrection power in Your name!
I won’t be shaken, no, I won’t be shaken!
My fear doesn’t stand a chance when I stand in Your love!”
(Josh Baldwin, Bethel Music)
The message of that song pours peace over my soul and into my spirit.
The Fruit of the Spirit is love—all others, including peace, flow from this. Peace is the Greek word eirene. It is the equivalent of the Hebrew shalom (verb shalal), which means “fulfillment and completeness.” The biblical principle of peace is powerful. However, as with love, God’s definition of peace is very different from the world’s definition of peace. Jesus addressed this in John 14.27 when He said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
The peace Jesus gives is not the absence of conflict. It is not about being surrounded by peaceful circumstances. It’s about a Spirit-empowered inner peace—a condition of heart and mind that gives us deep calm and exceptional clarity of vision. That in turn enables us to see and respond effectively to people and situations. This peace is all about God giving us courage and calm in the middle of whatever circumstances we face. The world simply cannot even approach this kind of peace. It is only available when we are in relationship with our Creator and Father.
God calls us to live our lives, do our work, love our family, serve our friends, and engage the world from a standing place, a foundation of peace. When we do not, we will be blown and shaken, unsatisfied and ineffective.
God’s peace is about fulfillment. Where Jesus is, there is always resurrection. His peace is the healing of wounds and the restoring of what is broken. By God’s grace, the most frightened, anxious, and broken among us can have His peace.
We have been restored to a right relationship with the One who made us, knows us, and loves us. Sin must be dealt with before there can be true peace, and God’s grace provides the way for that. Through the grace of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, God first fulfills the righteous standards of His Law (death for life), and then fulfills His love for us (He gives Christ's righteousness to us). That is how God gives us His peace.
Peace is a person. His name is Jesus. When you stand in His love, you won’t be shaken. When your faith in Him exceeds your fear of something or someone, anxiety loses its grip. I am a witness.