Peace. It is defined as a quiet and calm state of mind. That means you can have peace even when there’s chaos all around you. Buddhism teaches that the ultimate state of peace is nirvana. The path to nirvana, or peace, is to become enlightened. How does one become enlightened? Well some believe it requires a lifetime of effort and engaging in various practices, such as meditation and mantras. Now I understand that this is an overly simplistic view, but the point being is that in order to reach nirvana (a state of peace) you have to put in work. Perhaps, even a lifetime of work.
“...the peace that God gives us brings with it everything that we need in order to settle our emotions, fears, worries and anxieties so that we can remain calm and quiet in our circumstance.”
The Bible gives us a different path to peace. The peace that God gives us is free and readily available. Galatians 5:22 tells us that one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is peace. When we accept Christ into our lives and receive the Holy Spirit, one thing that evidences He is present in our lives is a peace that is inexplicable. We don’t have to strive to attain the peace that God gives because He has given it to us freely. (See 1 Corinthians 2:12). All God asks is that we focus our attention on Him and trust that He will see us through every circumstance, every decision and every challenge. When we magnify God’s ability instead of the situation we’re facing, God promised to give us perfect peace. (Isaiah 26:3).
Let’s unpack what “perfect peace” really means for just a moment. The definition of perfect is to have all the required or desirable elements, qualities and characteristics. So to have PERFECT- or all the required elements, qualities and characteristics- PEACE means to have everything you need to be quiet and calm in your situation. In other words, the peace that God gives us brings with it everything that we need in order to settle our emotions, fears, worries and anxieties so that we can remain calm and quiet in our circumstance.
This means that the sky could be falling around you, but you remain un-paniced. When faced with a major decision, instead of having anxiety or fear, you have a sense that one of those options just “feels” like the right choice and you don’t worry about the outcome.
If you find yourself in a constant state of panic or worry, it’s most likely because you have magnified the circumstance and lost focus on God. There’s only one condition to receiving the perfect peace that God promised. We must keep our minds on Him. We don’t have to strive or work to get this peace. All we have to do is think of the goodness of Jesus.
Because I tend to be a perfectionist and feel a need to always be in control, I find myself restless, or losing sleep, when I have a lot of important decisions to make. One thing I have begun to do during these sleepless nights is to remember all of the past situations God has brought me through. I recall the other major decisions I had to make that I was so worried wouldn’t work out right. But God did it and in my favor.
If you too struggle with remaining calm and quiet in the midst of life’s challenges, I encourage you to think on all the ways God has allowed you to overcome in the past. God’s promises are a guarantee. That means if we do our part, there is no doubt He will keep His word. Peace belongs to you. Grasp it, Maintain it, Own it!