Growing up in Peace 2

The past few days have been full. I have been involved in preparations for two funerals. Today I got to the church around 10 a.m. after having helped clean and prepare the church fellowship area last night for a dinner after the funeral. The man who died had fallen out of a tree and broken his neck plus other injuries. After the dinner we got the church back in shape for our regular services. The next funeral, or rather memorial service is on Sunday.

Add to the above that we agreed to have a Bible worker stay here for 9 months and they will be coming around the first of September or thereabouts. Both my husband and I feel very good about that move but it still involves a fair amount of work to get things ready.

As mentioned in my last blog, I have also been studying Psalm 18. I have a friend who is facing a court 'mediation' in relation to a legal suit situation. When I finished 'unpacking' Psalm 18 it seemed to me that it was written in particular for her. I'll not post the whole Psalm here - it has 5o verses - but I will post it on my paraphrase blogsite (see side bar).

There are some concepts still bouncing around in my mind from Psalm 18 that still fascinate me.
Following are a few of them that I believe lead one into a deeper peace experience in God.

Verse 32, 39 and 40 present a concept that is fascinating to me.

32. My Creator encompassed me, hugging me with strong arms and whirling me around in joy and enabling me to see better in all 'directions', and He puts me into His harmonious way of living.

and
39 - 40. You have encompassed me, hugging me with Your strong arms and whirling me around in joy and in ever increasing ability to 'see' in all 'directions' in preparation for this consuming engagement. You have humbled and prostrated beneath me those who betrayed me. You have broken the necks of those who were hostile to me so I could eradicate and totally destroy this hateful spirit.

A former misconception of mine has been that 'fighting back', so to speak, was not like God.
Yet, at least in this Psalm it sounds like there are appropriate times when it is not only good but necessary. I am also seeing that to be able to engage in that kind of conflict one must be spiritually born, v. 15

15. As this strong exhibition of Your presence was manifested, the very foundations of the world were revealed, O Self Existent One, as You breathed out divine Inspiration giving birth to new life.

then a person needs to spiritually grow up beyond babyhood into childhood - verse 20

20. As I grew up My Creator weaned me and He has been allowing me more and more 'room' to make decisions according to my maturity level - which also empowers me to see more clearly as He sees.

and continue to progress into adulthood spiritually before the verses about confrontation come.

24. My Creator has restored me in direct relationship to my level of growth in spiritual maturity and my ability to see as He sees.

Verse 34 is where the 'fight' is specifically mentioned but it only comes after I am prepared for it as described in 32, 33

32. My Creator encompassed me, hugging me with strong arms and whirling me around in joy and enabling me to see better in all 'directions', and He puts me into His harmonious way of living.
33. He empowers me to leap forward, like a deer, to achieve my high goals.
34. He stimulates and urges me to use power and means I receive from Him to fight so that the severe, negatively charged atmosphere is dispersed by techniques I developed while growing up in Him.

There is much more in this Psalm but I am coming to a conclusion that 'peace' may be the conclusion of the 'fight' when a person 'fights' in God's way and with the means God supplies. I believe that is key - learn how to 'fight' in God's manner so I can experience God's real peace.

Bringer of Peace