Peace like a River

There is nothing worse than the sinking feeling where your stomach seems to flip inside out. That weightless pause as if you drove too fast down a steep hill and the blood in your veins halts its progression. Or the cold nervous sweat that tingles your palms and dampens your forehead. It’s the feeling that you’ve entered into a nightmare. Whether it be the dreadful call from the hospital, the text that informs you the relationship is over, the boss that calls you into his office, or even just the split second when you realize you left your cell phone at home. No matter what the source, the feeling is icky.Unfortunately, we all experience it. We’re going to get bad news. We’re going to screw up. We’re going to have our car break down alone, at night, in the middle of a dark quarry road, with a child waiting for you to pick him up from football practice. (Well, maybe that last one just happens to me.) Even still, bad things are going to happen, but that icky, sinking feeling can be followed by a peace that is beyond comprehension.Pastor Ernie Frye of Metrowest Ministries calls it, “Peace like a river.” At first, when I heard this, I thought, a river isn't peaceful. There are rapids, currents, and unseen things beneath the surface. A river’s current can carry you away. But, that’s exactly it. It carries you downstream.A river has movement. It has a destination. It merges with other rivers for a combined force. God’s peace is not like a stagnant lake. It’s like a river that flows around you and through you. It allows you to be carried through situations and come out on the other side. It is a constant, moving peace that is life-giving and sustains you.So when tough times come and that icky, palm sweating, heart-clenching, feeling tries to ensnare you in its log jam, call upon the strength of the river. Lean back and let its peace carry you through.