“Because of the empty tomb, we have peace. Because of His resurrection, we can have peace during even the most troubling of times because we know He is in control of all that happens in the world.” – Paul Chappell.
How about a story? A king offered a prize to the artist who could paint the best representation of peace. Many artists gave it a shot. Paintings attempting to depict peace in a painting lined the halls of the king’s castle. The king looked at all the pictures and decided two did the best job. One painting was of a calm lake. The mountains beyond were mirrored in the lake’s waters. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. It was peaceful.
The other picture had rugged and bare mountains, an angry sky, lighting, and rain. When the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush, a mother bird had built her nest. There, amid the rush of angry elements, sat a mother bird on her nest of eggs in perfect peace. The king realized that peace does not depend on an idyllic environment. Every one of us has a picture in our mind of what peace should look like in our lives.
Most Christians long for the perfect lake, mountains, and blue sky. No one pictures the angry scene as the place to live a Christ-centered life. No one sees their life in a harsh place. Yet circumstances may sometimes cause us to be in an imperfect place. During these trials and negative circumstances, we need to find a little safe corner. The Bible tells us that inner peace is not about what surrounds us; it’s about our connection with God in our circumstances. Real peace isn’t just about reaching the mountaintop and staying there; it is something we find with and through the challenges of our lives.
Paul had a lot to say on the subject. He wrote, “God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel” (Philippians 4:7 CEV). Jesus promised authentic peace, for those who believe in Him. Jesus said: “I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give” (John 14:27 CEV). 2 Corinthians 13:11 in the Amplified version says, “live in peace, and (then) the God of love (who is the source of affection, goodwill, love and benevolence toward men) and the author and promoter of peace will be with you.”
The peace of God is different. It’s lasting. Confident. Real. It gives us deep reassurance in the midst of all that we face in our past, present, and future. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
To bring peace into this world will require us to have peace with God. This comes by making Jesus the Lord of our lives. We will have peace in our lives when we have peace with God. The Bible tells us to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. This is the only way we can have peace with each other.
Discussion Questions:
- Is there an area of your life where you constantly fear what might come or won’t come?
- How can we be nearsighted, especially when it comes to finding peace?
- What are practical ways we can trust God for peace in our lives?