The Power of Peace

A great many people are trying to make peace, but that has already been done. God has not left it for us to do; all we have to do is to enter into it. -D.L.Moody

Stuff happens. Life happens. Life throws us those curveballs at the most unexpected moments in our lives. Often, these situations and crises cause anxiety and fear, leaving our hearts and minds devoid of peace.  Our natural minds seem to be so focused on the crisis at hand that we cannot look beyond the situation we find ourselves in. We whisper prayers of, “Why God? Why now?” We may even feel like God is distant. But could it be that we’ve forgotten to invite Him into our situation? God is there waiting for us to engage with Him, to come to Him in prayer, so that we can give our cares and burdens to Him. We can do this because we know that we can trust Him to intervene in our situation. We can trust Him to give us His peace as we wait for Him to intervene.

I love what Paul says to the church at Philippi in Philippians 4:6-7. He says,

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

God gives us His peace when we find ourselves in difficult situations. He gives us the peace when we need it. The peace that we receive from God in the midst of our crises, our storm, is a peace that does not make sense. This is a supernatural peace we receive from Him. Paul says in Philippians 4:7 that this peace that we receive from Him will guard our hearts and our minds. It will be our protector and defender against worry, fear and anxiety. There is power in this peace to dispel worry, fear and anxiety when they try to enter our hearts and minds.

The peace of God is something that Jesus has already given to us. We don’t have to beg Him for it or do anything to get it. It has already been given to us. One of the final messages Jesus gave to His disciples before He died on the cross was this message of peace. John relates this in 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 hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

The NLT (New Living Translation) puts it this way:  “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.

When we accept His gift of peace, it doesn’t mean that our storm will abate immediately. But it does mean that we can operate from a place of trust and confidence in a God who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).

I would like to challenge you to exchange your worries, fear and anxiety for His peace. Each time they come knocking at the door of your heart and mind, refuse to open the door. Instead, give them to God. Let your words of worry and anxiety turn into prayer, thanksgiving and praise. Receive His gift of peace. Let it stand as a guard at the door of your heart and mind. When you do, you will have the assurance that:

Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered for ever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Psalm 112:6-7

“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

When we allow worries to dominate us, we’re actually saying that God can’t be trusted to take care of us. But He can be trusted! Billy Graham.

Reflection

Take time to think about the things that are keeping you from accessing His gift of peace. Give them to the Lord and ask Him to help you accept His peace.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, You know the storms and difficulties that I am facing. Lord, I give you all my fears, worries and anxiety. Help me not to give in to them, but to allow Your peace to stand as a watch at the door of my heart and mind. Lord, I praise You, and I thank You that I can place my trust and confidence in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.