His Perfect Peace

I'm sitting here getting a haircut. Not a very touristy thing to do,  but President Trump's schedule for today put an end to my plans. So here I am, hair wrapped in foils, waiting. Just now, my Paris-trained hairdresser asked me what I have learned about myself during my trip? A very good question. 

I've learnt a lot about the Word. I've learnt a lot about Israel and its people - both Arab and Jewish. I've learnt a lot about the historical and cultural context of the Gospels.

I can't say I came expecting to learn anything about myself. Sitting here, with foils in my hair, I ponder Asaf's question.

What have I learnt about myself? 

I guess I usually see myself as a person prone to anxiety (which at its root is fear) and worry. I naturally worry a lot. I KNOW worry is actually no longer "natural" for a person indwelt by the Prince of Peace, and yet even just before leaving for Israel, it was a huge struggle to remain in peace with all the stress that threatened to overwhelm me. 

I see that back home, I allow even the tiniest, little things to steal my peace. Here, it has been completely different. 

On a DAILY basis I have had opportunity to become anxious and stressed. I have had to navigate foreign streets, where the foreign language isn't even Roman letters and therefore UTTERLY unreadable. Where every bus or train announcement is in Hebrew, every sign unreadable, every landmark unknown; how do you know which bus stop to get off at? Which train platform to go to? Which milk-like looking cartoon is ACTUALLY milk? (Israelis also drink yogurt and chunky, sour milk!) Which queue at the Post Office to stand in for stamps? 

Don't forget, either, that I'm travelling alone. I don't even have a spouse or friend with whom to confer. (Truth be told, I'm not at all alone, but I speak from a natural perspective).

I can't communicate just how constant the opportunities to become anxious have been for me... they have been far more frequent and each situation FAR more stressful than anything I ever encounter back home in my ministry with Life-Gate.

AND YET...

The entire time I've been in Israel, I have known nothing but complete and absolute peace. Supernatural peace. There are actually no other words for it.

So what's different here compared to life back home? The entire trip I have stood utterly outside my comfort zone. Standing there, I have had no option in each challenge EXCEPT to look up. 

I also came knowing that God was BRINGING me here to Israel, and therefore leading me; going before me. I landed at Tel Aviv deeply aware of that truth. In every decision, every step, every bus trip and place I have "taken myself" (from the perspective of the natural) I have been constantly aware of His presence. His leading, guiding and orchestrating. What stress or anxiety can you feel when you KNOW this? None. None whatsoever. 

As a little girl, I loved nothing more than walking along holding my daddy's big, strong, rough hand. I felt safe and secure when he was leading the charge. That's exactly how I've felt here. Even travelling alone on public transport AT NIGHT in Arabic neighbourhoods. Perfect, restful, absolute peace... just like He promised. Only now, I have had nearly an entire month of experiencing it in a myriad of situations and challenges. It has held, unwavering. It has surrounded me. NOT ONCE have I felt alone or lonely.

So what have I learnt about myself? 

I have learnt that even if I am a person prone to anxiety and worry, in the natural, it is EASY to be in perfect peace when I live aware of His presence. 

Isn't that exactly what the prophet Isaiah wrote?

"You will keep in PERFECT peace him whose mind is fixed on You, because he trusts in You." (Isaiah 26:3)

I have known and quoted that verse to myself countless times over the years. Now, God has blessed me with the opportunity to EXPERIENCE it! It is true. It is real. It is absolutely possible, and indeed EASY, so long as I defer to Him.  

Remind me of this post, dear friend,  when you see me next.

If you catch me looking anxious, stop me in my tracks and remind me of what I learnt about myself in this beautiful land. God has blessed me greatly here in Israel. As I head home next week, I know I return to Australia because God is bringing me. He is leading,  guiding and directing in EXACTLY the same way He has throughout my entire adventure. 

I want to keep learning to be that little girl holding her daddy's strong,  safe hand, in absolute peace.