Welcome to episode 17.
Today, we're going to take on a posture of peace
by leaning back into the Lord
and allowing Him to be our safe place.
Hi, I'm Lindsay Van Zale.
Posture is a podcast that serves a short,
audible fist bump to remind you that God is in everything.
Together, we're going to be emboldened
to take a daily posture of perfect peace.
Psalm chapter 46, verses one through three, says this,
God is our refuge and strength,
our very present help in times of trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
You know, I film all of these
podcasts, record all these podcasts from my home,
which I affectionately call Haven Hill.
And we bought this home about a year ago,
and it was a total fixer-upper.
It was a 1940s ranch house
that had pretty much been untouched since the 40s.
And so we walked into a renovation project
that was supposed to take three months,
and it ended up taking nine,
which means for nine solid months,
we owned a home that wasn't livable.
And it felt like a joke.
Honestly, at times, I felt like a joke.
I had such hopes for this project.
I had such dreams for this home,
and not one single thing went according to plan.
So around this time last year,
my house was buried in rubble,
and I was buried in a lot of disappointment.
And I was so embarrassed to be disappointed
over something like a house that I had built,
or something like a house,
I just kept saying, it's just a house, it's just a house.
Like, I'm fine, everything's fine.
Meanwhile, the ignored disappointment
festered beneath the surface.
Disappointment should never be ignored.
It should always be confronted with the truth of God's word.
And so one day at my breaking point,
I had several breaking points,
but this one brought extreme clarity.
I was standing in front of the house
looking at the shallow home
that was really just a pile of sticks inside.
And I just said, Lord, like, what is the deal with me?
Like, why does this house matter so much?
And I felt like the Lord said, you don't feel safe.
And I realized that somewhere along the way,
even really before the renovation project,
having a house of my own
had become my source of stability,
security, and structure.
You know, a home had become my foundation
for rhythm and routine.
A house, a home had become my hiding place.
All the things the Lord promised to be to me,
I was looking for a house to provide instead.
I think that's the real joke, right?
That I would place my sense of wellbeing
in something that could so easily
be turned into a pile of sticks
instead of anchoring myself to the Prince of Peace.
What about you?
Do you find yourself today seeking safety
from something or someone other than safety himself?
It's actually difficult to notice that deviation
in times of comfort,
but it becomes very apparent
during seasons of waiting and delay
and times of lack and suffering.
You know, and it's not wrong to desire
the beautiful things of life,
you know, a home, financial security,
a whole family's success,
but it is extremely dangerous for our wellbeing
to depend on any of those things.
So I'd love for us to ask ourselves today,
what are we depending on to keep us safe?
It could be the thing right now
that's bringing you the most disappointment.
Is it your home?
Is it your finances?
Is it your job?
Is it your kids?
Is it your plans or your reputation?
Don't ignore the disappointment,
confront it today with the truth of God's word
and allow the Lord to show himself to you
as your place of safety.
Entrust your safety in his hands
and allow his redemptive power
to flood every single disappointment in your life today.
It is shalom, shalom, meaning complete wholeness,
nothing missing, nothing broken.
This is who you are in Jesus.
Let's declare this together.
Today, I am kept in perfect peace.
With my whole heart, I trust the Lord.
I am strong, I am victorious, I am whole.
Remember, friend, you are a living testimony
of Jesus' ultimate win,
not because of anything you did,
but because of what he did for you.
With every step you take today,
you're putting Jesus' victory on display
and Satan's defeat on replay.