Got peace?
Peace. Peace of mind. Inner peace. These are ours in Christ. Not in and of ourselves, mind you. I cannot manufacture that sort of peace.
There is a true, deep, and lasting peace that we can claim when Christ lives in us via the Holy Spirit. It does not make sense in the natural. At all.
While anything but peace rages around us, around the world, in our homes, perhaps, and in our hearts, Christ stands there offering us His peace.
How is this possible?! Because He is the Prince of Peace. He is peace itself.
This means, for me (and for you, if you are in Christ), that when circumstances and people around me offer me nothing but turmoil, I can still possess the peace of Christ within me.
When I love a family remember - go out of my way to show love and kindness - and the love is not returned, and it hurts, I can still live in peace.
This is not escapism or denial. This is the real deal.
And unless you have experienced this delightful, steady peace in your heart, it is hard to put into words.
I suppose it can be likened to the eye of the storm. A hurricane has in its power massive winds to destroy and demolish. Yet it has been proven that in the center of that destructive force, there is a calm. Nothing is happening in the eye of the storm - no drama, no wind, just peace and quiet.
God shows us this example in nature - the nature over which He has complete and utter control, by the way - so that we can see how His peace works. The turmoil - the storm, if you will - is all of those matters that surround us over which we have no control - the things, big and small, that threaten to destroy our peace, our lives, us - cannot touch us because Jesus is with us in the "eye" of the storms of life. Jesus is the calm and peace in the center of the storm.
Why must the storms be there at all, you may ask? I have wondered the same thing. I don't have the answer except to reassure you and myself that God knows exactly what He is doing.
He wants to show us the power of His peace. When He says that it "passes all understanding," the means it doesn't make sense in the natural. By the looks of things, we should not have peace! Yet that is the supernatural beauty of His peace.
When all is running amok around us, we can still have His peace.
When outer forces conspire to threaten and destroy us, we can still have His peace.
I say "can have" because we still might need to persevere to reach it, even though it is available to us always. It may feel like we don't have a choice - like the winds blowing around us are winning.
But if we persevere in prayer and faith, really believe that the Lord wants to give us His peace and has the power to do so, then we will reach it. We will feel its lovely power inside of us. The calm. The rest. All of those qualities we want and so desperately need.
So the next time you are tempted to give in to the turmoil around you, or feel helpless to change a situation or person (get over that one right now - we will never be able to change another human being!), pray to the Lord for His peace. Keep praying, letting go, and He will bring you His peace that passes all understanding.
Dear Lord, help me realize that I cannot understand everything, or figure out why certain things happen to me and around me. And that is ok. I am not meant to understand it all. Only You have unlimited understanding and knowledge, Lord. Beyond my understanding is Your wonderful peace. Thank You that we can know peace at all this side of heaven! For this is truly amazing. Give us Your peace, Lord, as we look to You, trust You, and let go of our need to fix, control, or understand. Envelope us in Your beautiful peace, Lord Jesus. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
"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." Philippians 4:6-7
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