Today’s world is characterized by chaos, hustle, the struggle for survival, health issues, family and relationship issues, inflation; the list is endless. Sometimes you just feel like taking a break from everything retreating into a quiet place away from the noise and hustle around your life. Or you might live in a quiet countryside home with sufficient funds in your account and a good stake in the stock market. You have money and are comfortable, but there seems to be world war 3 going on in your mind. You are plagued with fear, depressed, maybe even suffering from insomnia. You have everything money can buy, but you seem to not have peace of mind even in the abundance of your possessions. Suicidal thoughts keep racing through your mind; maybe you have to take medications to pull through the day and sleep at night. Every one craves to experience peace in their lives.
WHAT IS THIS PEACE?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines peace as freedom from disturbance, tranquility, calmness. A state or period in which there is no war.
This is a beautiful definition, but we have to look again at the meaning of the word. ‘Shalom’ is the Hebrew word most commonly translated to English as peace. It bears a more profound sense and meaning than just an absence of disturbance or calmness. It means completeness, wholeness, soundness, or welfare. This is a whole different level of peace and tranquility. This is soundness, completeness. This is not a product of good circumstances; this is an experience on your inside, a state of being that exists regardless of the tumult on the outside. So Christ offered to his disciples; “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John14:27”.
Jesus was not promising them freedom from disturbance; in fact, he told them; “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In this world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33″. Jesus was introducing them to a state of being that exists in himself in which a man can experience peace amid distress and troubles. You can be like Jesus, who slept peacefully in the boat when the storm threatened to tear the ship apart.
The true peace you seek cannot be found in any material thing. Have you tried taking drugs to numb the raging fear, worry, and depression? Perhaps you went into a relationship to feel loved and hope that you will find peace in your lover. Maybe you have tried to attain success and feel that the peace you seek will come through your achievements and success. You are among the millions of people hunting for this treasure; the only issue is that you have been searching for it in the wrong places.
WHERE CAN I FIND PEACE?
True peace can only be found in Christ Jesus. He is the Prince of Peace. The location of genuine peace in Christ. No matter how complex your situation may be, you can experience true peace in Jesus Christ. “These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. John 16:33″. This tells us that peace is not something separate or apart from Him; it’s om Him. That’s why it’s vain to look for lasting peace anywhere help. It’s a white elephant chase.
HOW CAN I FIND PEACE IN JESUS?
God is peace, and God desires to freely give us his peace. But there is a process that we have to be aware of if we want to truly experience the peace of God. Just like you decided to marry or go to school or to be successful, you have to decide to live and experience peace. But, first, you have to make a decision to:
- Be born again; there is an initial peace that comes from receiving the forgiveness of Jesus. It is beyond what human experience can capture. The very thought that you are now a child of God and all your sins are totally forgiven fills your heart with so much peace and tranquility. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom 5:1(ESV).”
- Grow in your fellowship with God: peace is not just a feeling; peace is the very nature of God and a gift from God. It is a fruit of the spirit. “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. Galatians 5:22″. As you begin to fellowship with God in prayers, in the study of the word of God, in worship, in fellowship with other believers, the nature of God begins to rub off on you. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 2 Peter 1:2″. As you increase in your knowledge of God, your mind is renewed, and your heart is reassured of his help in every situation.
- Trust in God: “He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts often turn to the Lord; Isaiah 26:3”. God has not promised us a trouble-free life or that every day would be Christmas no. Trusting God implies resting assured in him and his undying love regardless of the situation or vicissitudes of life. God is always in your boat, and he will calm the storm if you call unto him. That’s the confidence we have as sons. The same way a child comes to report a bully at school to his mom, confident that she will handle the situation, is the same way you trust God to take control of the situation. He is the almighty God, the creator of heaven and the earth; there’s nothing too complicated for him to do. It is not that God removes all the troubles from our lives, but God gives us complete peace, hope, and confidence as he takes us through the troubles in our lives. So trust in him in every situation. Rest assured in his power, and you will experience peace.
- Guard your heart: most of the feelings of unrest and fear, and depression that plagues us and steals our peace are a product of thoughts that were incubated in our minds which translate into worry, anxiety, fear, depression. You have to watch the thought that you entertain in your mind. “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the life issues Proverbs 4:23KJV”. Evil thoughts are like poisonous arrows that the devil shoots to weaken the defense of your heart and make you vulnerable for the bigger attack. What started as simple anxiety might translate to suicide if the poison is not stopped in its track. God has a perfect plan to lead you away from the thoughts that plague you into life and peace in the Holy Spirit.
“The kingdom of God is not in meat and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost: Romans 14: 17”.
- Meditate on God’s word. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all 1Timothy 4: 15. Meditation on God’s word helps to keep our consciousness of God alive. The more you see God, the less you will see your problems, and the more you will experience peace in your heart. The knowledge of God reduces your worries. Open your hearts to have faith and trust in his ability to help you.
Genuine Peace has only one source; God. You have to make a conscious decision to find and experience this provision of God for you. Christ died so you can have life and have it more abundantly John 10:10. You can live in perpetual peace. You can experience the fullness of God’s provision for you even in the midst of a chaotic world. You can soar above the storms. You can do all things through Christ that strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). Halleluiah!!!
10 Scripture About Peace For Your Meditation
- He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me; Psalms 55:18
- Great peace has they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
- Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27
- These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. in the world ye shall have tribulation;: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world John16:33
- To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:6
- Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost; Romans 15:13
- But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness. Goodness, faith; Galatians 5:22
- Those things which ye have both learned, received, heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you; Philippians 4:9.
- And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus; Philippians 4:9
- Now the Lord of peace himself gives you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16