“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27 (ESV)
Politics. Wars. Famines. Global Warming. Mass shootings. There is more than enough in our present-day world to cause fear, anxiety, and sleepless nights. To be honest, I’ve had to restrict my social media intake to a bare minimum because of all the dire predictions and contentious posts and memes. It’s just not healthy or conducive to a wholesome way of life.
This leads us to today’s topic: where to find peace in such a troubled world. We can’t find it by relocating, and we certainly won’t find it in politics or social media. No matter where we go on this globe, we cannot obtain the kind of peace God offers—complete, all-consuming peace.
Biblical peace – God’s peace – is not a sort of head-in-the-sand idealism. It is not a glass-half-full approach to life. Biblical peace is the fruit of a heart that rests on God’s promises. It is the intentional choice to focus, not on circumstances or what is happening around us, but on God’s faithfulness. It’s a deliberate choice to say ‘no’ to fear, to what keeps us up at night, to what robs us of our joy, and to say ‘yes’ to what God says in His Word. It’s choosing not to let our hearts be distraught or consumed by fear. It’s telling the devil he has no claim (vs 30), no hold on our hearts, our feelings, and our minds. It’s making room for God’s Spirit to flood every inch of our being so there’s not even an inch of room for fear.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your peace that passes all understanding. Help me to marinate in your promises so when trouble comes – and it will – I can say, ‘My heart is not troubled’ because your peace has left no room for fear.