Desiring A Peaceful Reality

From within the pressures, happenings, and realities of life, I often find myself desiring a lasting sense of peace. While promised from God, peace often feels far off, even hard to understand; too often, what we think will bring us peace does not, and we end up feeling even less peaceful.

The peace of God is not a light-hearted promise of scripture but an intensely personal and practical gift from God. He is our peace. We do not say this lightly or in expectancy of something easy; rather we desire His peace within the challenges and storms of life, giving us an inner calm when much is happening around us. God brings us peace in situations that cause anxiety and in seasons that build up stress levels, but it requires journeying with God inside those situations and seasons (rather than avoiding or ignoring them).

I offer the following passages for prayerful reflection.

“Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord— now and always.” (Psalm 131, NLT)

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27, NLT)