Daniel (my husband) and I, as well as four other family members just returned this week from an Alaskan cruise. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time! Especially right now, while some circumstances in our life seem turned upside down.
The Mountains Bring Peace
Daniel and I took SO many pictures of the beauty of the mountains and the ocean. Then the Glaciers and icebergs!!! Our captain did his best to keep us safe and still see all that we could. They were amazing! The beauty that the Lord created that we never saw before and many never see, is incredible. This beauty that He provides for us though, is peaceful! All of us on the ship were quiet the morning that we saw the glacier in the Tracy Arm Fjord. It was simply magnificent to experience! I encourage all of you who have never gone to Alaska, if you have the ability, Go!You won’t regret it.
The mountains will bring peace to the people,
And the little hills, by righteousness. Psalm 72:3
Fun On The Ship!
Also, we had wonderful food, we met some great people who spoke Portuguese, and Indonesian, where several of us in our family lived at one time. It was a great experience, speaking to them in their own heart languages. I think that it was special and made an impression on their lives. We got dressed up and did family pictures! I loved that!
Games were fun! We played several trivia games as a family team, as well as other card games that we brought. It was great spending special time together as a family, which is why my mother-in-law arranged for us to do this cruise together.
With all of this “fun”, going into small towns as well, the peace and queit of getting away and stopping our busy lives for a while and taking time to worship and admire our creator, our Lord God.
Taking time to experience peace and quiet, is something that God actually tells us to do in His Word, the Bible. But, how often do we really follow what He tells us to do in this area of our life? We try and follow many other moral and good, Biblical principles that He wants us to do, but we struggle to really stop and admire what He gave us and to be thank Him for all of it.
The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Stopping is hard for some of us to do. Some of us are workaholics. Sometimes we don’t know when and how to stop and how to put away funds so that we do stop for a time and thank Him. We don’t stop for peace in life. The peace that He promises us!.
In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.3 Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:2-3
Jireh
Many have heard the Hebrew name for God as Jehovah Jireh, which means “the God who provides.” He does provide! There are many names for God that go along with Jireh though. Jireh actually means “to see.” (Tony Evans quote) We do see God provide, but what else do “we see?” God gives us the ability to see! He gives us opportunities to see who He is! The song Jireh by Maverick City Music explains this well. Jireh- You're More Than Enough. He is more than enough! We see that He provides more than we can imagine.
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:26
And He gives us the opportunity to stop and see when we take a break that He wants us to take. Afterall, even God, when He created the whole earth, took a day to rest. He wants this for us as well.
The Names Of God, Their Meaning And Reference
God is Elohim- He is your creator. (Genesis 1:1)
Elohim Chayim- He is the Living God (Joshua 3:10)
Abba- He is your Father (Romans 8:15)
Jehovah-jireh- the Lord will provide (Genesis 22:9-12)
Jehovah-shalom- The Lord is peace (Judges 6:22-24)
El Elyon- God Most High (Genesis 14:18-20)
El Kanna- The jealous God (Exodus 34:14, Exodus 20:5)
El Roi- He sees you (Genesis 16:13)
Jehovah Ro’i- He is your Shepherd (Psalm 23:1)
Jehovah Nissi- He is my Banner (Exodus 17:15-16)
Jehovah-Rapha- The Lord who heals. (Exodus 15:26)
https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/10-names-of-god-and-what-they-mean.html
This Peace
Don’t forget about the peace that He gives us! In Philippians, Paul tells us to “not be anxious”. Many Bible verses tell us about the peace that He gives us. We have to accept this peace that He offers. A verse that I love and go to when I am anxious and struggling to find peace is
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3
I can’t, and you can’t have this perfect peace that comes from Him unless our mind is foucsed on Him and this is due to us trusting in Him regardless of our circumstances.