Today, we're going to take on a posture of peace by ministering to peace himself.
Hi, I'm Lindsay Van Zale. Posture is a podcast that serves as 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 91 verses 1 and 2 says this,
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.
All this week, we have been focusing on God being our victorious warrior king. We serve a God who
has never lost a battle, and we, his people, are warriors who carry his victory into our everyday
lives. And as I was reading Psalm 91, I was reminded that every warrior needs a fortress.
So many people make their fortresses out of, you know, finances, or job performance,
or their earthly relationships, or perhaps their material possessions. And yet we,
God's people, have been invited to make him our secure fortress, which is good news,
especially in a time right now where all those other fortresses are crumbling. We remain in a
fortress that is always standing. And so today, I felt prompted to share with you guys a scene
from my fortress, from my secret place with the Lord. I wanted to share a way that I've been
engaging with the Lord, especially in the season. And the revelation for this came actually from my
relationship with my two nieces. I have two nieces who are both at the ages where their avid
curiosity keeps them constantly on the move. You know, their days are filled with exploring and
discovering, asking questions, seeking answers. And they're also at an age right now where they're
becoming more and more independent, so they're desiring less assistance with their tasks. You
know, they want to do it all themselves. Yet every once in a while, they will walk away from their
activities and come sit on my lap and just lean back on me to rest. And these precious moments
are a balm to my soul. You know, they come with no agenda. It's just a few minutes to come rest
on antlens and take a break from all the living that's still to be done. Have you ever experienced
this wonder before, maybe with your own kids or nieces or nephews? Perhaps you've experienced it
when your significant other, you know, rests their head on your shoulder. Or maybe when a friend has
like grabbed your hand in a need of like quiet reassurance. And this may sound silly, but I know
my fellow pet lovers will understand. I've even experienced this joy when my dog, you know, all 70
pounds of him slowly creeps up on the, you know, couch he's not allowed to be on and snuggles in my
lap. My point is this, doesn't it minister to you when you become the resting place of someone you
love? I believe it's the same with God. Do you know that you can minister to your Prince of Peace?
Seasons and circumstances in life often affect how we interact with peace. When we find ourselves in
a low season, in a valley season, we want to be ministered to by peace. We want our worries washed
away. We want the dust to quickly settle. We want the cause of all of our anxieties to just cease.
And you know, this is actually a completely appropriate desire to have to actually pursue
peace in this way because peace is always willing and able to minister to us. We know this because
Jesus gave us an open invitation in Matthew 11 28 when he said, come to me all who are weary
and burdened and I will give you rest. And then we have those mountaintop seasons where we're
we're full of zeal and strength and we are stirred in those seasons to be ministers of peace. We want
to resolve conflict. We want to heal hurts. We want to be a part of bringing redemption and
restoration to a lost and broken world. And again, this is a completely appropriate desire to have
and to pursue peace in this way because peace is always willing and able to partner with us.
You know, Romans 10 15 says, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel
of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things.
We want to be ministered to by peace, and we want to be ministers of peace.
But how often do we seek to minister to peace himself?
How often do we take time to lean back and make God our resting place?
You know, peace is a person.
It's the very presence of Jesus in our lives.
And so a posture of peace is leaning on Jesus.
In the presence of peace, everything changes.
I have changed radically.
You know, my questions have changed.
I'm no longer asking things like, Lord, are you even real?
Do you love me?
You know, will I make it?
Will I come through this?
I have asked those questions, but I'm not anymore because the answer to those types
of questions become so obvious to me when I'm in his very presence.
You know, instead, when I'm in the secret place with him, I'm asking things like, Lord,
who do you want to be for me in this circumstance?
Lord, share your secret with me.
What amazingly good thing are you turning out of this situation?
Lord, how can I partner with you in this crisis so that you get the most glory out of it?
It is hard to stay afraid when he shares his view with you.
You know, it's being with him, being in that secret place where trust is forged so thick
that only peace can get in.
So today, let's spend time not getting to know more about Jesus, but getting to know
him more.
Let's take the time to minister to our Prince of Peace by leaning back and resting on him.
The promise of perfect peace is found in Isaiah 26 3, and in Hebrew, 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.