"Walking Through Transition"
by Diane Hale
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3)
Between the folding of the old and the unfolding of the new, there is a 'gap'-- we call it transition. The old is not yet over and the new is not yet here; in our humanity we have to deal with the 'gap'. Knowing what we 'sense' in this gap and that it is valid is the first step to understanding and moving with assurance through the 'gap' and into the future.
There is a sense of some things being 'dormant'. Don't try to breath life into dormant things. Jesus said,"...unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain" (John 12:24). Wait and allow the breath of God to bring new life.
There is also the 'sense' of things being 'completed'. This can give a person a feeling of dis-ease, not knowing if things are truly 'in order'. Don't keep on doing just to be doing. Jesus said, "...Most assuredly, I say to you the Son can do nothing of himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does is His manner" (John 5:19). Even Jesus was not always 'doing' something; He only did what His Father was already doing.
The third 'sense' we may have to cope with is 'apprehension'. Not knowing what is coming down the pike or around the corner- very naturally brings apprehension. But the Lord said, "Fear not, I am with thee" (Genesis 26:24). "Fear not I am thy shield" (Genesis 15:1). "Fear not I have redeemed thee" (Isaiah 43:1) "Fear not thou shalt not be ashamed" (Isaiah 54:4). There are 365 'Fear Nots' in God's Word; one for every day of the new year.
Our Word this morning is probably one of the most significant in its application during this time. There is as always a promise- but one that is contingent on a command. The promise is that the one who has become our Prince of Peace will keep us in perfect peace as long as we TRUST Him. Take heart this morning; Jesus the babe has come as the Prince of Peace. He will lead you down unknown paths, but never will He leave you to walk it alone!
Today remember, He is not just the Protector of the Past or the Power of the future-- he is the PERFECT PEACE of the present!
