Peace

Peace, we all want it, we all actually need it, but how can we get it?  Maybe more importantly, how can we keep it in this world of business and commotion?  I, for one, might let others steal my joy at times or let my circumstances determine my mood.  That doesn’t have to be so, because our “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33).  Evil and satan seem to be in control of this world today, but they most assuredly do not have to be in control of our lives and our peace. 

The Psalms are always a source of peace for me, and are not short on messages about what God can do for us and the peace he provides.  Psalm 62:8 tells us to “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”  Psalm 46:1 tells us again “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  Psalm 29:11 speaks of peace: “May the Lord give strength to his people!  May the Lord bless his people with peace!” God is there, and He is prepared to be our refuge and our help; we simply need to ask (pour out our hearts before Him). 

Prayer is one way that I am able to regain my peace when someone or something has tried to steal it from me.  Paul, in Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

We already see that prayer is one way to find the Lord’s peace, but what other steps can we take?  Job tells us to “Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.”  So walking in step with God is also a help for peace … it just puts things in perspective when we view things through the eyes of God.  “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” (Col. 3:15).  So, maybe, if we looked more at our blessings and less at the problem we might be facing at the time, we will focus more on the peace and less on the problem.  Jesus, in John 14:27, promised peace in some of His last words here on this earth.  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”  So the next time you begin to worry or let this life steal your peace, just remember that you have “the God of peace” for you, Jesus the one who promises peace walking beside you, and the Holy Spirit who provide peace within you.  I will leave you with the blessing of Paul from 2 Thessalonians 3:16.  “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

God Bless!