After a beautiful and precious friend of mine shared that she was looking inside herself for peace as she faced really hard stuff, I knew my response to her is a truth we all need to hear.
With countless people worldwide with their backs turned to God, the world’s woes and sufferings and the pervading darkness and evil appear worse than ever. And with it comes countless people desperately searching for and seeking peace.
But while the world teaches us the way to find peace is in ourselves and in the people, places, and things of this world, God’s ways are not the world’s ways.
“”For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9 NKJV
Seeking peace?
The only peace that is perfect, pure, guaranteed, totally satisfying, and is available 24-7 and forever is found in the Lord Jesus Christ and a forever relationship with Him.
No matter what we face in this life, and no matter the dire straits of this world, we have access to an endless well of peace in Jesus.
Now please understand that just because God has an endless well of amazing, wonderful, fulfilling, refreshing, beautiful peace available for us to draw from day and night i.e. continually does not mean we can simply pray, “God give me peace!” and expect to have peace just like that.
Peace WITH God comes when we turn from our sins, believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and in His death and resurrection, and turn to God and His ways. When we receive Jesus as Lord, we are no longer separated from God by our sins. We enter into a forever relationship with God, and now we have peace with the Lord!
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Romans 5:1 NKJV
There is no true peace for those living in sin with their backs turned to God.
“”There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”” Isaiah 48:22 NKJV
Now let me be clear. Once we have a relationship with God, we will not necessarily have and experience and feel peace all the time!
Genuine pure peace comes from and through Jesus.
When our focus is on self, this world, and our trials, we will likely and understandably lack peace.
But when our focus is on Jesus, and our trust is in Jesus, and we are living in obedience to Him, no matter what we face, we can experience peace through Him!
“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.” Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV
We can also have peace when instead of being anxious we pray to God with thanksgiving trusting Him to bring to pass His perfect will.
“Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
No matter the trials we face, and the darkness of this world, we can have peace right here on this earth in and through Jesus and our relationship with Him.
And we who believe in and faithfully follow and live for the Lord Jesus Christ can look forward to forever peace in heaven.
Isn’t that amazing! We can have peace on earth and peace forever in heaven from, in, and through God!
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”” John 16:33 NKJV
Friend, a desperately thirsty person can be standing right next to a well with an endless supply of deliciously refreshing hydrating water and never know the wonderfulness of tasting that water. Why? He must go to the well and draw from the well and take the time to drink of the well to experience and enjoy that water.
You and I can spend our whole lives without true peace because we do not go to the well of Jesus. We can even believe in Jesus yet never really and deeply and satisfyingly know the peace He offers us. Because we never take the time to spend time in the Lord’s presence.
How can we truly know the peace Jesus offers us?
Believe in the Lord, love Him, follow Him, live for Him, be totally devoted to Him, live in obedience to Him, spend time alone with Him, pray to God, praise Him, worship Him, read the Bible, cry out to Him, pour out your heart to Him, commune with Him, seek Him, listen to Him, hear Him, draw near to Him, sing to Him, stay in contact with Him day and night, focus on Him, call out to Him, pursue Him, and pursue and know His love and His peace, AMEN!
Do not look inside yourself for peace! Do not look to this world for peace! Look to the Lord Jesus Christ, Hallelujah, AMEN!