Scripture:
Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
John 14:27
Lesson:
The Holy Word says to seek peace and chase after it. This is a peace that goes farther than what the world can offer. As preacher Stuart Briscoe said, God’s peace is a “deep lasting inner sense of well-being that will not break down, will not be repealed, and will never be withdrawn.” We will experience the peace of God that passes all understanding.
At this time, there is so much anxiety in our world and we are bombarded with news and images of war, shootings, climate crisis and other traumas every day. We all seek some peace and rest from this flow of negativity. This is probably why the interest in practicing mindfulness and mediation have grown over the last ten years. Although meditation can be quite successful in quieting your mind and improving focus it cannot fill the empty void within. That void is a desire to be connection with our Heavenly Father and Creator.
Your fantasy of what peace looks like may be for your co-parent to stop sending hostile text messages to you at all hours! Most of us think about peace in terms of resolving a problem or difficult situation. The biblical understanding of peace goes much deeper. Thankfully we can obtain spiritual peace because the truth is, we will never, in this world, be free from all difficult people or conflict.
That’s what makes Jesus’ perfect peace so attractive. Apostle Paul wanted us to understand the unexplainable peace that is available to believers through Jesus. In Romans 5: 1-21, Paul explains the blessing of peace for those justified by faith. This peace is unrelated to our external circumstances yet completely related to our internal relationship with our Creator.
Ever since Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden, we have been pursing God. Many of us are aware of having withdrawal symptoms from the loss of God as He was in the garden. Without that connection, we are in an existential crisis and not recognizing it as such. We call it depression, anxiety, mental illness, midlife crisis, retirement and other labels. God’s peace provides us with confident assurance He is indeed with us at all times. The world takes you away from the eternal. So, seek God’s peace-pursue it, chase it, run for God and do it now.
Reflection:
Try some of the following:
- Let go of problems (disengaging or detaching)
- Practice being in the moment (meditate)
- Spend time each day alone to speak with God
- Read scripture every day
- Learn to accept what is
- Be positive
- Relax your expectations
- Seek to honor all God’s commandments
- Focus on the eternal
- Praise God and marvel at His creation
- Repent of your sins
- Forgive others
- Do all that you can to live at peace with everyone. Do not escalate conflict.
You are reading this to learn how to defuse conflict with your coparent. So, to seek Peace with God, seek peace with your coparent.
Prayer:
Lord, Grant me Your Peace. Make me so hungry for You that I will accomplish the above. It is only through You that I can come to know this perfect peace. Help me to keep my eyes and mind on You, even when my life tempts me to worry and fret. I trust that You know best, and I want to cling to You and Your promises of peace and that you’ll never leave nor forsake me. Thank You for this time together, use it in my life for Your glory. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.