Do you feel it?
Can you feel that stirring in your heart causing your forehead to wrinkle and your head to shake at some of the tragic circumstances occurring in our world? Do you feel that stabbing pain in your chest when you ruminate about relationships, situations, or events causing stress in your life? How about that nagging spirit of agitation from the relentless noise around you that just never seems to go away?
We can all use peace in our lives. We need it. We want it. In fact, sometimes we even crave it.
We all long to have peace in our life, but . . . do we purposefully pursue it?
Do we know how to?
There are lots of things we can do to temporarily escape our stressors. Relaxation techniques, deep breathing, places of respite, or, one of my favorites . . . avoidance. While most of these are positive and can be effectively helpful (probably NOT avoidance though), we still tend to deceive ourselves into thinking that if only our circumstances were different, then we would have peace.
These days, I’m learning the guidance for my peace amid all circumstances is right in front of me, and the pursuit is quite simple.
Know God. Know Peace.
Brian G. Hedges from Redeemer Church in Niles, Michigan shares this story:
“One time there was a king who commissioned the artists and the painters in the land to paint a portrait of peace. He wanted to understand their vision of what peace looked like. There were many different drawings, there were many different paintings that were presented to the king for his approval. He didn’t really like any of them, except for two.
One of them was a painting of a very calm and placid lake. It was as clear as crystal, you could see the reflection of this vast mountain range there in the lake, blue skies with clouds above. All of this was in that painting, and it was a very beautiful painting; and everyone thought, “Surely, this is the painting that the king will choose.” He loved the painting, but there was another painting that he liked more.
This painting was also a painting of a mountain, but it was a sharp, rugged, craggy mountain. Overhead there was a stormy, threatening sky with lightning bolts, and coming off the mountain was a roaring waterfall. But if you looked really close, behind the waterfall, in a little crack in the rock, there was a nest. There was a bird in the nest, peacefully tending to her nest, even in this stormy, threatening terrain around her.
That’s the picture that the king chose, because, he said, “Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise or trouble or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. This is the real meaning of peace.””
Fortunately, we have a God who is all about “Peace” and desires nothing more than to fill us to overflowing with it. In fact, He is the “Prince of Peace” who promises to sustain us with His peace in all circumstances.
“The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:7
So, how do we pursue God’s peace? Here are a few simple ways:
- When you talk to God you draw near to Him, and He draws near to you. You can cast your anxieties all on Him.
- Be Grateful. Thank God for everything. Train your brain to find the good. Gratitude in action lessens anxiety and brings peace, even among our difficult places.
- Trust God. Realize God is bigger than YOU. When we practice trusting that He is more and we are less, our trust and obedience produces blessings and peace.
- Banish Stinkin’ Thinkin’. Let yesterday go. Settle your mind on the here and now. Kick negative thoughts to the curb. It will help you change your perspective for a clearer mind and a peaceful heart.
The circumstances of our lives constantly change . . . the character of God never does.
When we increasingly grow in our understanding of the depth of God’s love for us, we begin to securely rest in the shelter and refuge of His power.
So . . . I encourage you today to grab hold of God’s mighty, never-changing, ever-lasting PEACE.
It’s there for the taking.
