You can have peace!

Sitting in her favourite chair with her favourite drink, soaking up the heat from the fire, she depicted the essence of peace. The Hebrew word for peace, šālôm, translated most often by the Greek word, eirēnē, has a wide meaning including completeness, success, fulfilment, wholeness, harmony, security, well-being, calmness, comfort, contentment, happiness and pleasure. Yet, looks can be deceiving, the picture painted above could be merely external, the real test of peace is what goes on in your heart and mind.

When Isaiah prophesied about the birth of Jesus as the Messiah, he specified that one of the names Jesus would be called is: “Prince of Peace.” “For to us a child is born, to us, a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 English Standard Version

The single biggest characteristic of Jesus is that He came to bring peace. God’s Word is very clear that He also gives us access to peace through His Spirit Who lives in us:

 “For God will never give you the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 The Passion Translation (TPT)

 “I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous! “                     John 14:27   (TPT)

To have peace in the midst of very trying circumstances is exactly what God wants to give us. When we stand in relationship with Him, when we admit our dependence on Him and cry out to Him, His presence fills our thoughts and emotions, and peace fills our being. God’s Word is quite clear, we have a part to play in that we should not focus our attention on that which can make us fearful, we should give no place in our thoughts to negative outcomes but instead, we should have courage and faith based on the Word of God that He will never leave us or forsake us. He will strengthen us and give us all we need in order to handle everything that comes our way. The inevitable result of being in God’s presence is experiencing PEACE.

Being human, we all have to manage our tendency to fear. David gives a beautiful description of his humanity and tendency to fear in Psalm 34:4 (Amplified Bible) “I sought the Lord [on the authority of His word], and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Please note that David sought the Lord, he reminded God of His word and His promises and on the basis of David’s action, God answered him.

In Psalm 94, the writer describes a scenario which I can personally relate with very well: “Whenever my busy thoughts were out of control, the soothing comfort of your presence calmed me down and overwhelmed me with delight.” Psalm 94:19 The Passion Translation (TPT).

We choose to be in relationship with God, through His Son Jesus Christ. Once we have chosen, we are on a road of unlimited grace and favour as we learn to hear His voice and as we obey and apply the principles of the kingdom of God in our lives. We then start to understand how deeply God loves us and that becomes the driving force of our lives.  John explains this beautifully in 1 John 4:16-18: “16 We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him. 17 In this [union and fellowship with Him], love is completed and perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the Day of Judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him]; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].” (AMP)

Our choice in every difficult situation is between succumbing to a spirit of fear or to the Holy Spirit. The fact that the Bible describes fear as a spirit, is significant. If you are fearful to the extent that it overrides and guides everything you do, you are probably oppressed by a spirit of fear and in need of God’s deliverance so that you may experience the peace He gives.

It remains our choice to focus on the reality of God’s presence and to allow His peace to fill us, or to focus on the things which cause stress and anxiety and thereby permitting the spirit of fear a place in our hearts. When submitting to the Holy Spirit, we acknowledge that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, that peace originates with God and that He is able to drive out fear and anxiety by His presence in our lives.

May your Kingdom come in my life Lord, your Kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy! May the peace in my heart overflow into a life of peace, so that I won’t need externals to create peace, but that the peace which reigns in my heart will touch everything I do and say, displaying the peace of God.