Panic....Confusion....Instability....or PEACE?

The following verses remind me of a time we took our teen ministry on a dolphin watch on the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coasts of North and South Carolina.

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.(James 1:4-8)

There we were on a drizzly day and no dolphins in sight. The boat captain wanted to give the passengers some excitement anyway so he began doing "donuts" on the water and as he did the ocean spray came at us in every angle! Now while some enjoyed it, I, not being an avid nor Olympic-skilled skilled swimmer, was praying for life not to end on the Atlantic Ocean! I was not patient nor calm. I lacked wisdom for sure. I was being tossed and driven in the waves! Yes . . . UNSTABLE! To say the least, I was glad when the captain stopped "having fun" and calmly headed the boat back to the docks. I got a feeling for what it was like to be out of control, tossed around, and praying for direction! Reading these verses in James this morning, reminded me to not allow Satan, or simply the everyday occurrences in life, to get me spun around and lacking direction. Lord, help me to stay focused upon You and Your wisdom, not the "intelligence" of so many today. While education, degrees, and life experience can offer suggestions, it is only the wisdom from God that can really overcome this world and all the troubles it offers! Indeed, His PEACE goes beyond all human understanding!