peace Archives - Train Up The Child

Right now we all need to take God’s peace in the midst of the storm, just like the bird in the picture above. This is the cover of a book called Deep Inner Peace by Jack Hartman. I highly recommend it at this time. Our children need to see us taking God’s peace.

Share the story in Mark 4:37-40 with your children. Act it out in the bath tub with lots of splashing 🙂 Emphasize that Jesus was peaceful and calmed the storm (stop splashing) He asked the disciples why they were afraid. Point out that the Bible tells us 365 times in the Bible to not be afraid – that is one time for each day of the year.

Another book that I think is appropriate right now is Divine Healing by Andrew Murray. God is our healer! And here are some verses concerning healing that should bring us peace. Talk about these with your children and pick out some to memorize with them:

Proverbs 4: 20-22 Keep God’s word in your heart for his words are health to all your flesh.

Proverbs 15:30 A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.

Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones.

Proverbs 17:2 A merry heart does good like a medicine; but a broken spirit dries the bones.

Psalm 91:9-10 Because you have made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, your habitation; There shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.

Psalm 103:3 God heals all your diseases

Psalm 107:19-20 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Isaiah 33:24 …the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick.

Isaiah 58:8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Exodus 15:26 If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and will do that which is right in his sight, and will give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that heals you.

Jeremiah 30:17 I will restore health unto thee and I will heal your wounds.

Keep your thoughts on Jesus and rest peacefully. Memorize Isaiah 26:3 with your children, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Sing songs about peace with your children. Put Bible verses to familiar tunes or make up your own.

Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young–
a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God,
Psalm 84:3

Interesting that in this verse God uses sparrows and swallows which are considered the most restless of birds. He referred to them as ‘fluttering’ and ‘darting’ in Proverbs 26:2.

Yet these most restless birds find a place of rest for themselves and their young near the altar of God. We should follow their example with our young, giving them to God. We need to stay close to Him, allowing God to work through us to train them in the way they should go; so they will be like these birds that were free to go anywhere, but chose to stay near the altar.

David must have been watching the birds in the sanctuary of God and it stirred up in him the desire to dwell that near to God and find rest for himself and his children. Jesus must have been watching the birds when He used them as teaching aides in Matthew 6:26 and Matthew 23:37

God obviously values birds as there are numerous references to them in Scripture:

He implies that the birds have a better perspective, are more observant, and are wiser than most things: Job 28:21, Proverbs 1:17, Job 35:11

God acknowledged that birds are great parents as He mentions wanting to gather us under His wings as a hen gathers her chicks: Matthew 23:37

He even tells us to consider the birds and to ask the birds to teach us: Matthew 6:26, Job 12:7

My nephew and his wife work to rescue birds with The International Bird Rescue Center in San Pedro, CA. So I asked them for some info on birds. They pointed me to a documentary called “Life of Birds” Watch and study more about these creatures that God values. You might learn something about parenting.

But the most important thing we can learn from the birds is that as we seek to parent in the midst of the storms of our busy lives, we should stop the ‘fluttering’ and ‘darting’ and lay our children at the altar of God – keeping ourselves and them near to Him, and finding peace and protection there. ‘The sparrows and swallows could not have chosen a better place to find rest, or a safer place to have their young and raise their family. The dwelling place of God should be a place of safety where we can raise our children.’ ( Matthew McDonald )

Now for something fun. One thing I learned in this study is that parents may feed the newborns every 10 minutes – whew – we think every 2 to 3 hours is tough! Here’s a video of footage my son Jeremiah captured a few years ago observing a robin feeding her young. Watch till the end and see what devoted parents they are. 😉

http://youtu.be/uS6cA0lxBw4

Peace in the Storm

Consider the Birds