Abide in Me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. John 15:4 NRSV.

Peter…walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid. Matthew 14:29-30.

Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ – the Son of the Father – will continue to be with us who live in truth and love. 2 John 1:3. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14. The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17.

And continuing our 351 Old Testament prophecies, promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we come to number 63: Declared the Beloved Son. Psalm 2:7: I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” And, Matthew 3:17; Romans 1:4: And behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our LORD.

The first Scripture verse cited above was in Hearing God by Dallas Willard and he also shared this from Take Another Look at Guidance, from Bob Mumford: “God wants to bring us beyond the point where we need signs to discern His guiding hand. Satan cannot counterfeit the peace of God or the love of God dwelling in us. When Christ’s abiding presence becomes our guide, then guidance becomes an almost unconscious response to the gentle moving of His Holy Spirit within us.”

But how today can we know God’s peace and God’s love? As we read Scripture we come to know the difference between what the world says is peace and how the world loves with what God Himself shows us to be true. I think that’s the disconnect we experience as we read what Jesus said is the way to life, that we don’t experience here living in this fallen world. It feels naive and removed from reality as we know reality here. Our time on earth is measured in years. Our time after we die is measured in eternity. Trusting what Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, tells us in this life prepares us for all that is to come now and for that eternity with Him. I don’t know about you, but I’m so tired of “Certainty Me”. Certainty Me thinks she knows everything and behaves accordingly. But when I yearn for God, I see young me looking up trustingly at God, holding His hand as He gently leads me and I am excited and willing and ready. I keep trying to leave Certainty Me behind and it is getting easier to recognize when I stride forth in all my certainty of knowing that knows so very little that is real. I can even be kind to my certainty self because I needed her to navigate this world that was so frightening to me because there was so much I didn’t know and it seemed that everyone else knew so much! The peace of God and the love of God are gentle and patient because He knows us well, all of our parts we show and those parts we hide from others. And in His Presence we find love and help because He is right there with us guiding us. It makes it easier to be with Him in trust, as we come to know His love guiding us for our good always.

***A NEW DAY Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, You have brought us in safety to this new day: preserve us with Your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin nor be overcome by adversity. In all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of Your purpose, through Jesus Christ our LORD. Amen. Book of Common Prayer (1552).***