What is your viewpoint of peace? Is it the absence of an argument, chaos, fighting, or war? Or is it more than that? Is peace something you strive for? Do you work to obtain not only peace with others but an inner peace for yourself?
Many people have many different viewpoints of peace. Those in the midst of a war-torn nation long for a peace that means the bombs are no longer falling and the guns are no longer firing. Those dealing with relationship issues simply view peace as having no more arguments. Still others long for peace without the chaos.
Though all of those versions of peace are good, they cannot be the end of our longing. We are to continue to long for the inner peace that only God can provide. We can even have that inner peace in the midst of strife. We see example after example of it demonstrated by the apostles in the book of Acts and the letters they wrote.
Jesus has promised us the inner peace we all long for, whether we know we long for it or not. We obtain it by putting our belief, trust, and faith in Him. When we finally grasp that God is in control, not us, the inner peace we long for begins to find its way into our hearts. When we finally understand the depth of God’s grace, we find peace.
The peace we desire includes external peace in our world. But the inner peace we long for is not dependent on the external peace. Our inner peace is solely dependent upon our trusting in God.
I pray we all desire both external and inner peace. I pray we understand that God is in control. I pray each one of us will find the peace we desire by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord. Seek peace in our world. Seek inner peace. Know that only God can give you inner peace.
Luke 1:78-79 By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Marty Pressey 