Peace: A 4-Day Devotional by Anna Golden

Scripture: Philippians 4:7

Day 1: Peace is not a reward, it’s a person.

Scripture: “Then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ.” (Philippians‬ 4:7, TPT)

Song of the day: “Peace (Live)”

Three years ago, I truly found peace. What’s funny is the genesis of my peace started in chaos. For so long I believed peace was one of two things. First, I believed peace was the product of a perfect equation. 

Good relationships + financial security + success = peace

I was in this never-ending cycle of trying to “crack the code” to a “perfect peace” that doesn’t exist. 

Second, I thought peace was a reward for good work. I was always told to “follow peace” like it was this prize dangling in front of me like a carrot. I desperately needed peace, but I felt like I didn’t deserve it. How could I have the audacity to ask God for peace when my own decisions had thrown me into the eye of a chaotic storm?

There I was, trapped in a cage of my own making, but pretending everything was fine. The kicker was, I wasn’t fine.

One Tuesday night in February, I had a mental breakdown. I had experienced panic attacks before, but nothing this bad. I went back to my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri (Go Cards!) and stayed at my parents’ house, which felt like rock-bottom. I began seeing a counselor who helped me understand my thoughts and control my breathing. I learned how to truly meditate in the presence of God. During this season, the Lord gave me the song that would become the title track to my entire record, PEACE. 

It was at the end of myself that I met Jesus in a whole new way. I met Him as the Prince of Peace. He took me through a slideshow of my life and made Himself known in every moment. In moments I thought I was truly, completely alone, He was there. That’s when I realized, peace is not a prize, it’s a person.

My encouragement for you today: Peace is available for you right now. Peace is not the product of a perfect equation. Peace is not a reward for good work. Peace is a man named Jesus. You don’t have to hold it all together. You are grounded in peace. 

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is a time for THAT, too.

Scripture: “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to construct, A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer, A right time to make love and another to abstain, A right time to embrace and another to part, A right time to search and another to count your losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go, A right time to rip out and another to mend, A right time to shut up and another to speak up, A right time to love and another to hate, A right time to wage war and another to make peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, MSG)

Song of the day: “There Is a Time” 

So much of the absence of PEACE in my life stemmed from this thought: I’m not in the right place. I was paralyzed by this notion. Over and over again, I would rehearse all the things I thought I wasn’t doing “right” or where I thought I “should” be. In return, I would find myself completely missing out on the present moment and everything beautiful happening around me. 

One thing I love about Scripture is how intricately intentional it is. The Lord knows how our minds work. He already knew I would have these thoughts, so He gave me the most beautiful, grounding Scripture—Ecclesiastes 3. 

Verses 1-5 lay out every single season we face in this life, and it states how there is a time for THAT, too. This passage helps me recognize that every season has its place in His story, and just because it doesn’t always feel right doesn’t mean I’m not exactly where I’m supposed to be.

My encouragement for you today: Wherever you find yourself right now, there is a time for THAT, too. You’re not in the wrong season. You didn’t “miss” God’s will. There could never be a harvest without a planting AND a waiting season. He has ordained every step you take. Rest in the fact that you are right where the Lord needs you to be.

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Nothing stays broken in His presence. 

Scripture: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NIV)

Song of the day: “All Things” 

Have you ever looked at a situation in your life and thought: “This is too far gone”? Because, SAME. There were so many things I would look at constantly in my life that I labeled as “too far gone.” Relationships that had ended, connections I had lost, opportunities I had squandered—all because of very stupid, very human mistakes that I had made. It was hard for me to grasp the concept of “God works everything together for good.” I said it all the time, but I didn’t believe it. 

I thought I had to clean up every mess I made by myself. I really believed God could only fix the things that happened to me, but it was my responsibility to fix the things that happened because of me. This flawed thinking led me to some really dark moments in my life. I lived with so much regret and shame because of things in my past. I would not let the Lord touch any of my mistakes, because, in my head, those were not His burdens to carry. 

At the beginning of 2019, when I experienced a mental breakdown, I had a radical moment with the Holy Spirit that would change me forever. That mental “break” led me to drop everything I was carrying, including all of my past mistakes. When I finally let the Lord take inventory of my life, I was given an entirely new perspective. Nothing stays broken in His presence. I finally handed over all of my broken pieces and laid them at His feet. 

My encouragement for you today: Take inventory of the things in your life that you might not have given the Lord permission to access. What situation are you holding onto? What broken pieces are you keeping close to your chest? He is so ready to relieve you of all those things that are weighing you down. What is so wild about God is He doesn’t just take those broken pieces and throw them away; He reworks them into a magnificent work of art. 

Scripture: Luke 10:41-42

And now we rest!

Scripture: “The Master said, ‘Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.’” (Luke 10:41-42‬, MSG)

Song of the day: “Listen, Breathe” 

Here we are on the final day of the PEACE devotional. What do we do now? Nothing! Well, not necessarily nothing—let me explain. I don’t know if you are this way, but doing nothing is easily the hardest thing for me to do. I am an overachiever at my core. I enjoy being busy and having a full schedule. I am very much a “doer,” if you will. For a long time, this really inhibited me from being able to sit still in the presence of God. 

Today’s Scripture is one of my favorite depictions of the “doer” personality. In Luke 10, we get to witness the exchange between Jesus and some of his closest friends, Mary and Martha. When Jesus came to their home, Martha was buzzing around still doing the household chores, and Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to every word He had to say. Luke goes on to say Martha was upset and interrupted Jesus, telling Him to tell Mary to get up and help her. 

The story ends there, but I imagine Martha’s response would have looked something like, “I can’t just be still! There’s work to be done!” At least that’s what I would have said.

There will ALWAYS be work to be done in our everyday lives. So much of my life I thought stress was productive. If I was really stressed out, that meant I had a lot going on, which meant I was getting stuff done. I cannot tell you how wrong I was! 

We serve a God of peace. So I have chosen to do the one thing most important—choosing to sit at His feet.

My encouragement for you today: You don’t have to live a life of stress! Being still is not the same as being lazy. Prioritizing Jesus every day is the biggest investment you can make for your life. He has us in the palm of His hand! We don’t have to strive. We can lean into who He is, listen, and breathe.