Your Way Out Through the Love of Christ

Psalms 34:8 (NLT)
“Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!”

Jesus Christ said in John 14:27(NLT), “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” Peace is very important to every individual because it means that we are living in the present with faith in God and faith in the hedge of protection that He’s placed around our lives. The Father gives us peace through Jesus Christ, and it is an inner reality. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us and brings the fullness of Christ with him, but sometimes we forget this. We need to remind ourselves continually that peace is an inside job. It isn’t dependent on what is happening on the outside. There can be chaos and confusion all around us, but inside is a different story if we trust and honor God and have faith in what He is given us through Christ.

As we mature and gain experience in life, we learn that there can be situations that cause us to worry and have anxiety. We might think to ourselves, “I thought life would be easy since I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, but that has not been the case at all.” Jesus never promised that life would be a bed of roses all the time. He taught the disciples in John 16:33 (NLT), “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Trying to live a life outside of Christ, without his help, is treacherous, but living life in Christ brings us peace no matter what we face. He is our Refuge and our Savior, and we can trust him with all that we are.

Significant relationships have been a source of pain in the lives of many. They can disrupt our peace more than any other situation. In an abusive relationship, it’s unbelievable that the man that used to be so kind and patient is now mean and very hurtful. He may even be demeaning and call you horrible names, and you’re always shocked when you’re treated this way. It’s not surprising that the heartbreak of being treated this way by the person that is supposed to love and support you changes your outlook on life. We might be tempted to let our faith plummet and think that the Lord isn’t going to help us, but this isn’t true.

When we’re in the valley of despair, God is with us. In Joshua 1:9(NLT), He told His people living in Old Testament times, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” When we place our faith in Him, God will always give us a way out. He has delivered us through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and because of this, we have unlimited access to God’s peace, mercy, grace, and love.

Every answer to any and every problem will always be found in the truth of the life and love of Jesus Christ, and any problem that we will ever face has already been nailed to the cross. Galatians 2:20(NLT) tells us, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” When trials and tribulation weigh heavily on us, we may feel as though we have nowhere to turn, but this is when we must turn to the face of God. His love, grace, and mercy are what we need to make it through.

Psalm 34:8 invites us to taste and see that the Lord is good. Indeed, He is good beyond our greatest imagination, and He invites us to put Him to the test because He never disappoints. God uses our senses of taste and sight in this verse because they are how we interact with the world around us. In this same way, He tells us to interact with His spiritual realm through our faith. He wants us to experience the truth that He cannot fail, and His mercy endures forever.

Lamentations 3:22-23(NLT) declares, “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” As we face difficulties in our relationships and in other parts of our lives, we would give ourselves the greatest gift of turning to God so that we can encounter His love, mercy, and comfort. The weighty problems of life can easily slow us down, but our way out is through the love that Christ has for us. In the middle of our heartbreak and pain, we can have peace if we have faith that Jesus is our Helper, and as we draw closer to him, he will be our refuge and source of strength. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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