Undisturbed

"This anger is not helping me be at peace."

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE to live without emotions. God gave us emotions to enjoy life. Two of the three descriptive words of the kingdom of God are emotions — righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17). The fruit of the Spirit's life in us are emotions (Galatians 5:22-23).

Jesus has emotions. In the gospels, we see Him grieve, sorrow, be joyful, be at peace, be anxious, and be angry. He entered the temple and turned over the tables of the moneychangers angry at their misuse of His Father’s house, and Abba supported Him, giving Him something to say (Mark 11:15). But Jesus was not controlled by His emotions. In the garden, during His greatest moment of emotions, He placed His will, as an emotional human being, into the Father’s hands and dedicated Himself to what He had to do.

He loved as the Father loved, who sent His only Son to die for the whole world.

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34)

Our emotions lead us astray because they are fickle and cause us to make unwise, rash actions. We seek to appease them, whether they are negative or positive. Men and women "hook up" for sexual pleasure outside of marriage because of overwhelming emotions. But see Jesus’ protection of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:7). He alone kept her from stoning. My point is, lust is fueled by emotions, and for a time, it feels good.

We cannot live by emotions but must realize them when they try to take over. "This anger is not helping me be at peace." And we must know what to do instead. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit's presence in us. He is the greatest example of self-control. Look at God's creatures. The One who made the elephant and the blue whale also made the hummingbird and the snail. Look at the intricacy of the human body. How delicate is He who can Resurrect a body beaten beyond recognition and also place an embryo in a mother's womb? He parted the Red Sea making its bottom soil dry, then when the Egyptians tried to cross in their chariots, the soil was once again muck, and their wheels stuck fast. The Holy Spirit is the complete power of God which keeps alive all things, yet He is sensitive to them and delicate with us (Isaiah 42:5).

He is how we overcome emotional ups and downs. He gives us restraint and wisdom. He enables us to see how we are feeling and reacting, and leads us into a place of peace, willing to take on our overly emotional state in spite of our words and actions. He is the broader shoulders, as my mother would say, and the broader shoulders are well able to bear the weight. He knows our every thought and the intent of our words and has a solution (Hebrews 4:12).

God seems to be painted as overly emotional in the Old Testament. The psalms are a great example, but they are written from men's emotions in difficult situations as they cry out to God. The Old Testament prophets seem to picture our loving Father as perpetually angry and vengeful. But God is never out of control (Proverbs 21:30). Think about that. He does not respond in outbursts of anger or sorrow. He is never trying to figure out how to deal with us. We would really benefit and mature spiritually if we would seek God for a true revelation of this and not simply write it off or consign it to the quote "mystery of God." God has made known to us the mystery of His will (Ephesians 1:9) and Jesus came to reveal the Father (Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22).

No, instead, God chose mercy. He sent Jesus so that He never has to be angry at us again (John 3:17). He sees mankind with His pure, neverending love. He knows our every weakness, as He lived as one of us. He ate with sinners and loved them. He cast out demons and embraced those who'd been in bondage. He loved the Jews, the Gentiles. Those who followed Him, those who murdered Him. He forgave the thief who hung beside Him and promised Him Paradise without requiring any act of penance. 1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us He is patient and kind. Verse 8 says He never fails. He can handle whatever we throw at Him and make of the chaos which churns within us great peace.

He is the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). He is the God of peace who sent the Prince of Peace to bring the gospel of peace and make way for the Spirit of peace to proclaim peace on earth, good will to men. He is the place to find peace, but not the world's temporary emotional peace, fragile and apt to break on a whim. He is bottomless peace which is undisturbed by anything which comes against us.

Like Caleb who saw the giants in Canaan and said, "We can do this for God is with is!" Like Caleb who returned 40 years later, age 80, still ready to conquer the works of the enemy. We stand tall, confident in God’s care of us, and unwavering in the midst of what should be doubt. But isn't. Because the God of all things makes of all our emotions, all our second guessing, strength and lifts us from the sea of doubt to a wide-open place filled with joy. Prosperity. Success. Here in this life with promise of heaven in today's footsteps and not just tomorrow.

“O my soul, come, praise the Eternal with all that is in me—body, emotions, mind, and will—every part of who I am—praise His holy name.” (Psalm 103:1 VOICE)

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalms 43:5)

“Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.” (Philippians 4:1)

Image by Bianca Van Dijk from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com