The Key to Tranquility

“Tranquility.” That’s the name of the sailboat moored thirty feet from ours. It’s the word I see every time I step outside. Perhaps the good Lord put it there to remind me that, no matter what the circumstances look like outside my safe bubble, I can possess “the quality or state of being calm.”

Being tranquil isn’t the same as being tranquilized. It doesn’t mean we deny or ignore what’s happening in our lives, our homes, our nation, and our world. On the contrary, we feel the impact of pandemic, politics, and racial tension acutely. We hurt with those who hurt. We wrestle with tough questions and wonder what the future holds.

Tranquility comes when we acknowledge the challenges and the unknowns and choose not to cave in to fear or fatalistic thinking. We choose instead to do the next right thing while trusting that God still sits on the throne and that He’s up to something much bigger than we can see. It also comes when we learn to walk out God’s promises. Here’s one I’ve known most of my life but have come to appreciate in a new way in the recent past.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6 NLT)

Did you notice that it says God’s goodness and unfailing love pursues us all the days of our life? Not fifty percent. Not ninety-nine percent. All. Even the days that bring bad news and threaten to topple us off our axis. Even the days that make us utter, “Life’s not fair.” Even the days that end with us crying into our pillow. All.

Referring to Psalm 23:6, Max Lucado writes, “What a huge statement! Look at the size of it! Goodness and mercy follow the child of God each and every day! Think of the days that lie ahead. What do you see? Days at home with only toddlers? God will be at your side. Days in a dead-end job? He will walk you through. Days of loneliness? He will take your hand. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me—not some, not most, not nearly all—but all the days of my life.” (Traveling Light)

We can easily update this quote to be relevant to our current challenges. It might read, “… Think of the days that lie ahead. What do you see? Days at home educating your children? God will be at your side. Days with no job or wondering whether your job will last? He will walk you through. Days of loneliness due to isolation? He will take your hand. Days of wondering what the new normal will look like? He will carry you. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me—not some, not most, not nearly all—but all the days of my life, even when I’m living in a pandemic.”

Stay calm and carry on with hope. Tranquility—the state or quality of being calm—is ours no matter what our circumstances look like because God’s goodness and unfailing love pursue us every day, all the days of our lives.

So tell me—what has challenged your state of tranquility the most during this pandemic? What verse has helped you maintain calm?

#Tranquility  #Psalm 23  #Devotions