Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4: 6-7, 9.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48. I keep thinking about the problems we face today and the problems faced in David’s day. He reminded me this morning the evil of today is the same evil of before. It is ingrained in the human heart. Who can fathom it? Remember My love and cling to Me.

What did Jesus teach the masses of people gathering to hear Him? “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48.

In 2 Samuel 4 Saul’s son, Ish-Bosheth, king of Israel, is afraid when he learns his commander of his army is dead. I would imagine he was deathly afraid of David, a mighty warrior and king of Judah. But it wasn’t David he needed to fear because David trusted God. Ish-Bosheth was indeed killed but by men who thought they would be rewarded for bringing David the head of Ish-Bosheth. Men who didn’t trust God. David told them Ish-Bosheth was an innocent man they had killed; and their lives were ended. David made sure Ish-Bosheth’s head was buried in Abner’s tomb in Hebron. v. 9-12. A lot of violence.

Amidst the violence and hate of today, I find comfort in drawing near to God and I find peace. And the God of peace will be with you. How about you? Do you long for peace in your heart and soul? Are you weary of worrying about things you cannot fix or change? Do you want to walk with One who is peaceful and where there is no drama? Pray. Pray for those you love and those you do not love. Open your heart to receive the truth of God. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12. The God of peace told us to love and pray for our enemies. Reminds me of the line from The Hunger Games…remember who the real enemy is. When we remember who the real enemy is – the cause of the hate in us and the world, it becomes easier to grasp we cannot overcome that enemy on our own. That takes love we don’t have.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19.

Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…and the God of peace will be with you. Let’s cling to that truth and that love!