He gave me Peace
During launch (a week of final training before they send us out on the field) they invited the parents to come as well for a few days to have some training of their own before final goodbyes and this was the last service! I was already feeling a bit freaked out thinking "Oh Jesus what did you get me into!" But for the last few months every time I would start to feel fearful or stressed out I would just listen to this song by Hillsong called "Prince of Peace". But not only did I not have access to YouTube at this moment to let it help talk myself into a more calm, level headed, state of mind, but I also wouldn’t have access to it for 11 months!
Now I know what you are thinking "Mallory just download it", well that was the plan but when you’re trying to plan ahead the next 11 months of your life for some reason the song that helps you stop freaking out and breath like a normal person somehow just didn’t make the list. And of course, I couldn’t get anything to download at the hotel; just my luck! I know it’s not really the song that helped me so much but the fact that that this particular song helped me shift the focus off whatever I was freaking out about and onto Jesus my amazing Prince of Peace for comfort and thankfully I for sure wasn’t leaving Him behind!
Funny thing is I couldn’t even tell you exactly what I was stressing about. I wasn’t afraid of getting hurt. I knew leaving my parents would be hard but we would still be able to communicate. And I had an amazing team of 6 girls that I love going with me. But during that final service it seemed harder and harder to remind myself that I wasn’t going alone, that Jesus would be right there with me every step and everything was ok. But even as I told myself these things and tried to push through and focus on Jesus I could still feel fear tightening its grip and whispering louder and louder all the ”what ifs” and lies until finally I’d had enough! I lifted my hands to the music and told Jesus I meant it when I said your enough for me and I WILL follow you when ever and where ever you lead me! And then I heard Jesus say…….
"The Prince of Peace trumps the father of lies every time!"
At that moment a total calm swept over me and I was able to worship Him with a freedom that I can’t explain, a confidence in knowing I truly meant what I was singing, and a peace that I wasn’t going alone. Nor was I standing there alone. Jesus, my amazing, loving, Prince of Peace was standing right there with me holding my hands up so that I could worship Him even in all my doubt and weakness, He stood with me.
Later that service a man who works for the World Race got up to share about how he felt like the Lord was calling him to make necklaces with keys on them, and on the keys, he put just one encouraging word that he felt the Lord wanted to use to encourage others and "unlock" a new level of closeness with the Father. He then began to tell us how he had gotten the list of all the racers names and began to pray over us and ask Jesus what He wanted to say to each racer to draw them closer in relationship and the necklaces were waiting outside in envelopes with our names on them. Well, needless to say I was stoked! Not only am I getting a super awesome necklace for FREE but it also has a word on it, prayed over for me specifically! As I walked out of the doors where the necklaces were I began to see some with words like “free”, “alive”, “beautiful”, “grace”, “truth”, “fly”, “joy”, “son”, “beauty”, “new”, and even some with scripture on it. I couldn’t wait to see what the Lord wanted to tell me and as I found the envelop with my name on it, it was time to find out.
I’m sure by now you can guess as I opened up that envelop what my key said, but in case you are like me and it takes a while to get the little hints from God…… I pulled out the most beautiful key necklace with the single word "peace". I get the feeling God is trying to tell me something, what do you think?
So, there it is, Jesus gave me the key "peace" and with that He gave me so much more!
