Ephesians 6:14-15
“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”
Proverbs 12.20-22
“Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy. No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.”
Why do we want inner peace? So that we can feel good, or so that we can see situations with clarity and wisdom and then act with courage? Do we want peace mostly for ourselves, or do we want peace so we can serve the Lord and others?
My concern is that we have made peace a self-centered thing. We want it for ourselves. The truth is that the Lord gives us peace so that we can better serve him and others. Let’s reconsider peace. Let’s rethink what it is, how it works, and why we want it.
It is from a foundation of peace that the Lord calls us to live our lives, do our work, love our family, serve our friends, and engage the world. When we do not operate from a foundation of peace — that is, when we are not walking with the Spirit and our heart is troubled and fearful — then we will not be effective for Christ and his kingdom.
God’s peace is about fulfillment. It is the healing of wounds and the restoration of what is broken. By God’s grace, we who were once estranged and separated from God, we who were fragmented and broken, have now been made whole and complete. We have been restored to a right relationship with our Creator.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
Now, once we are saved and our position with God is secure, life becomes a matter of how we apply that peace to the stuff we deal with every day. Spirit-empowered peace deeply affects how we deal with circumstances, and how we deal with people.
The presence of God’s peace does not exempt us from life’s difficulties and pain, but it does empower us to navigate any circumstance (good or bad) knowing that God is in control, and that he will fulfill his purpose in our lives as we trust him and abide in his truth. Rather than feeling stressed by events or people, peace transforms the way we see and respond.
It is through the peace of God that we live by vision, not circumstance. In John 14.27 Jesus says to the disciples, and to us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
How does the world give peace? If you were troubled, upset, and disturbed, and you went to a doctor and asked, “What can I do to gain peace,” what would the doctor tell you? “Take a trip. Go to Hawaii. Get away from it all.” In other words, “Change your circumstances. Get to the place where nothing bothers you, where everything is peaceful around you. Then you can be at peace.”
But Jesus says, “I give peace right in the midst of trouble, right in the midst of distress and turmoil and heartache and pressure. I will impart peace to your heart right here, but I will not do it the way the world does it. I am not going to change the circumstances; I am going to change you.”
It is quite unfortunate that many Christians think of the peace that Jesus gives as primarily something that makes them “feel better” as they navigate the challenges and difficulties of life. While it is certainly true that the “peace that passes all understanding” is a wonderful blessing, the reason the Lord gives us this peace is because he wants to accomplish something in us and through us, not just give something to us.
Let me ask again, Why do we want inner peace? So that we can feel good, or so that we can see situations with clarity and wisdom and then act with courage? Do we want peace mostly for ourselves, or so that we can serve the Lord and others?
My concern is that we have made peace a self-centered thing. We want it for ourselves. The truth is that the Lord gives us peace so that we can better serve him and others. Let’s reconsider peace. Let’s rethink what it is, how it works, and why we want it.
To repeat, here is the message of our Master: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Coram Deo
