WHERE CAN I TURN FOR PEACE?
i wander through the still of night
when solitude is everywhere
alone beneath the starry light
and yet i know that God is there.
i kneel upon the grass and pray
an answer comes without a voice
it takes my burden all away
and makes my aching heart rejoice
when i am filled with strong desire
and ask a boon of him, i see
no miracle of living fire
but what i ask flows into me
and when the tempest rages high
i feel no arm around me thrust
but every storm goes rolling by
when i repose in him my trust
it matters not what may befall
what threatening hand hangs over me
he is my rampart through it all
my refuge from mine enemy
COME UNTO HIM all ye depressed
ye erring souls whose eyes are dim
ye weary ones whose eyes long for rest
COME UNTO HIM, COME UNTO HIM
come unto him
text: theodore e. curtis
music: hugh w. dougall
hymns of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints
PSALMS 55: 16-17, 22
"As for me, I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me.
"Evening, and morning and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice."
"Cast thy burdens upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."
MATTHEW 11:28-30
"Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give unto you rest.
"Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
"For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
russell asked me who God was the other day. how do you explain all that you know God to be to a 4 year old, whose family isn't that religious? i also want to be respectful of the family and let them be the one to talk to their own children about such things, but i was intrigued by this question.
guess i have always kind of known about God. i had two parents that found their most genuine connection to Him, by way of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. so i grew up being taught that Heavenly Father was aware of me, that He loved me, that He wanted me to be happy. but when a child asks you how you know he's there, what do you say?
so here's my answer.
God created you and me, he being our Father in Heaven. He sent me to this earth, to gain a body... to be tested, tried beyond my wildest dreams, to be happy, to find joy and peace... to learn how to rely on him for ALL things. he sees my mistakes and wishes me to do better. he lifts me when i can't take another step.
yes, peggy... but how do you know he really exists?
there have been times in my life when i decided to "explore the world." test my independent wings... after all.. i do have my agency! because... what IF there really is no such person as God... then i am wasting time so focused on it... right? so i went out into the world... where it was FUN... and boy was it ever. the parties, the clubs... what a LIFE and i was living it! and never in all my life did i feel so empty inside. so i began searching for answers to help and i turned to my good friend... the world.
the world is cold.
turns out, the world is not a friend.
and the only solutions the world has for your emptiness... is to fill it with MORE.
more everything... take your mind off the hole... numb the pain with substance, distraction... oh, and don't forget to focus on yourself... you don't have time for others... now is the time to be worried about Y..O..U ... cause no one else is going to worry about you... selfishness is the KEY to filling your void!
yeah, that oughtta work!
it doesn't.
i tried that.
only brings more pain, heartache and loneliness.
then, through loving people in my life, i was urged to seek God. i was slow. i took a lot of wrong turns along the way... but i found Him. then... PEACE... pure unadulterated peace. for the first time in years, my void had been filled... with peace. a joy and a happiness that only those who have felt it before can truly understand. how do i know he exists? when you feel THIS way after you pray at night... after you've served someone else... after you have just found the perfect answer to your questions while you were reading a book that was written thousands of years before you were born... when you are smiling for no reason at all... just that you are happy to be alive, happy to be on this earth... happy with who you are... you just know... and no one can take away that knowledge.
i have peace because i have faith in God. i tested that faith and was given my answer.
