The Gift Of Peace

The Gift of Peace

May they have abundant peace, both near and far. Isaiah 57:19

IF YOU KEEP AN EYE ON THE NEWS and watch the people around you, you will notice the swells of worry that pass through your world with remarkable predictability. They roll in like the waves of the ocean coming to shore, some merely creating mild concern and others inducing widespread panic. But those billowing fears affect only those whose hearts are focused on the rise and fall of circumstances. They are indicators of where attentions are fixed. They do not rattle those whose hearts are fixed on God because he does not rise and fall with the situations around us. He is absolutely secure against all storms, and he keeps his faithful ones sheltered within his unmoving arms.

God promises peace to those who trust in him, and Jesus assured his disciples that he would leave his peace with them—not the world’s kind of peace, which shifts with every change in circumstances, but God’s kind of peace, the shalom of his Kingdom (John 14:27). But there’s a catch: We experience that peace only if we receive it, embrace it, and live as though it’s true. When we nurture our fears by focusing on the potential threats headed our way or the waves of trouble rolling over the world, we will live in fear. But when we nurture our faith by anchoring our attention on God and his wisdom, power, and love, we will live in peace. The choice is ours. We have lasting peace when we feed our faith and starve our fears.

Too many people are feeding their fears. They ingest a steady stream of negative news from the media that thrive on such things. They guard against every rumor of hardship. They bow down to every threat that appears on the horizon. In seeking safety, they live in turmoil. They take on the pain of trouble before trouble ever comes.

The life of faith runs contrary to such thinking, securing our thoughts, expectations, and hopes on the goodness of God. We will weather the storms when they come, but for now, they are no concern of ours. Our eyes are always on our Father, and we freely receive the gift of peace that comes from him.

In his will is our peace.