“Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no trouble, noise, or hard work. it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” ~Unknown
There have been many books written about peace, how to find it, how to keep it. There have been many movies made about peace and peacemakers. There are many legends about those who have brought peace to war-torn nations. Peace is a much sought after reality. From the numbers of people who search for it or write about it, it would appear that few have found it or learned how to hold on to it.
Peace — that most elusive of states — is not something we can find or win. Peace is something that is freely given to us by God. The truly innocent person knows peace. The truly innocent person knows peace because the truly innocent person abides in God, embraces God’s law, and lives in unbreakable peace.
“I want that!”, you exclaim. Yes. So do I.
Why do we seem to have it so infrequently? Why, when we find peace, do we often lose it again? Most likely because we allow our frail human nature to get in the way of who we are and what we do.
We search all the time for whatever it is we feel we need. If we are completely honest with ourselves, though, our needs are not true needs. They are merely wants. And those wants often interfere with our relationship with God. But, they are wants nonetheless.
The more we seek after the things we desire, the less we will be able to abide in peace. The more desires that we accumulate, the more peace we give away in exchange.
If we want peace, we have to quit serving ourselves and embrace the Lord. God is, after all, the only source of true and lasting peace.
FAITH ACTION: Pray for an abundance of peace in your life today so that you can face whatever awaits you in this world.