I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Friday morning, the 8th of December, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We start in the Book of Isaiah 26:3-4: 

"You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in the Lord forever,
For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength."

Then we go straight to the Gospel of John 14:27:

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  

The whole world is desperately looking for peace. We try to find it in success, in achievements, but it is not found in receiving the gold medal at the Olympic Games or getting that coveted degree at university. Even Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, found that out. He said it's just like chasing the wind. If we look at Ecclesiastes 4:6, he said:

"Better a handful with quietness
Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind."  

You know, the one thing I really love doing is to take my horse, Snowy, by myself and ride up into the hills and wait on the Lord. Now, it takes a lot of discipline, and if you are anything like me, I always have to be doing something. When I go for that ride that takes maybe four or five hours, it's a time to be quiet and listen to the Lord, and that is when the peace starts to come. The Lord speaks to me through the wind; He speaks to me through that solitary eagle circling high up in the sky; He speaks to me through those magnificent little wildflowers that are blooming for the Lord because no one else can see them, but I get a chance to see them; the call of that cow on that hill calling for its little calf that is asleep somewhere; the sheer size of the mountains makes me realise how small and insignificant I really am. Let's be honest, my dear friends, even Jesus Christ Himself did this regularly. He was often being sought after, "Where is the Lord? The people have arrived." Where was He? He was up on the mountain; He was spending time with His Father.

Let's try it, you and I, because you know something, it actually works, and oh by the way, leave your cell phone behind.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.