Missing Peace

Scriptures: Ephesians 2:14-18, Isaiah 26:3-4, Hebrews 13:8, Philippians 4:6-9, Romans 15:13

Missing Peace 

The year 2020 will probably go down in history as one of the most unpopular years in many of our lifetimes. From a global pandemic to growing awareness of racial injustice to political tension and division, it’s been a challenging season. Many of us feel like our peace is missing, or maybe even like it’s been stolen. 

But what if it’s not our circumstances that steal our peace—what if they just reveal the lack of peace we already had? 

When times get challenging, we have a way of idealizing the past, thinking that if only our experiences were different then we could finally be happy and find peace. 

And yet, every year, it seems like we’re still longing for peace. So while we should acknowledge how challenging this season has been, we can’t blame it for every struggle we face. We also can’t discount what God is doing, even through the chaos. 

So, what is peace? How do we find it when we’re divided and anxious and uncertain about the future? 

The good news is that peace isn’t found in the absence of problems. It’s found in the presence of Jesus. 

Ephesians 2:14 reminds us that Jesus came as our peace. Not just to give us peace but to truly be our peace. In fact, the Greek word for peace is eirene, which also means wholeness. Jesus didn’t just come so that we could feel better some days. He came to restore us—and our relationship with God—to wholeness. 

Our peace is tethered to the presence of our unchanging God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is constant. He is good. And He is worthy of our trust. 

We won’t find peace in our changing circumstances or by seeking it out on our own. Jesus is our missing peace, and when we stop fixating on our problems and instead fix our eyes on Him, we will begin to experience peace that guards our hearts and surpasses all understanding. Just look at this reminder from Scripture: 

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. Isaiah 26:3-4 NLT 

Perfect peace sounds pretty incredible, right? But it comes when we focus our thoughts on Jesus and give Him our complete trust.

So, peace may feel like it’s missing or far off. But the truth is that peace is a Person, and when we trust in Him and keep our thoughts on who He is, we will find it. That doesn’t mean that we’ll always feel happy or that we’ll never experience anxiety or fear. It does mean that we know how to find peace when we struggle, because peace is a byproduct of God’s presence. 

Scriptures: Romans 12:9-18, James 3:17-18, Hebrews 12:14-15, Proverbs 17:1, Matthew 5:9

Relational Peace 

Uncertainty tends to magnify conflict and strong opinions. And in a season where “unprecedented” may be the word of the year, we’ve all faced some conflict. 

Whether it’s political arguments that start over holiday dinners, social media comments that get a little heated, or having tough conversations about boundaries, sometimes the people we love the most can also cause us the most stress. 

But peace is possible in our relationships. In fact, bringing peace to the world is something we’re called to do as followers of Jesus. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9 NIV

Notice it says “peacemaker”—not “peacekeeper.” Peacemaking is an active process. It doesn’t mean we go along with every opinion that gets thrown out around the dinner table. It also doesn’t mean that we have to agree on everything or never cause conflict. Those actions may create the pretense of peace—but not real peace. 

Although it’s tempting to just ignore conflict or pretend it’s not there, that’s not a loving response. Romans 12:9 reminds us that love must be sincere. If we hide our hurt feelings, we’re not bringing peace—we’re avoiding the process of making peace. 

However, Paul keeps challenging us in Romans 12 to consider what peace really looks like, and it’s not easy. After encouraging us to bless those who hurt us, to avoid seeking revenge, and to live in harmony with others, he issues this challenge: 

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 NIV

Notice it says, “as far as it depends on you.” That means we don’t get a pass because of our crazy uncle’s behavior. No matter how chaotic everything looks around us, God still wants us to pursue peace, whether that means engaging someone directly or removing ourselves from a situation if we know that’s the best way we can bring peace in that moment.

So, how can you be a peacemaker in all situations? We get a little more wisdom about this from James: 

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. James 3:17-18 NIV

Being a peacemaker looks like asking God for wisdom, then testing that wisdom by evaluating whether it’s full of peace or filled with our own pride. It means that although it’s okay for us to share our opinion and voice our concerns, we prioritize other people above ourselves. 

It looks like being humble and gracious when we share our perspective. It means evaluating our motives for sharing and making sure we do so with restoration in mind. And it looks like asking whether our goal is seeking righteousness or being right. 

So, when you find yourself in a situation that needs some relational peace, pause. Assume the best of the other person. Talk about how you’re feeling or what you’re thinking. Be humble. Show empathy. Pray about it. And ask yourself what next action you can take to bring peace to the situation. 

When you do so, you’re being a peacemaker—and you’re being a child of God. 

Scriptures: Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 1:23, Romans 8:5-6, Galatians 5:13-26, Hebrews 13:20-21, Psalms 23:1-6

Peace of Mind

Think back to a time in your life when you faced a significant struggle. Maybe you battled anxiety or depression. Maybe you lost a loved one. Maybe you’re dealing with the loss of a dream, or the loss of what you thought your life would look like. What were some of the most helpful things people did for you? 

You might not remember the words someone said. But you remember who was there for you. You remember the people who listened, who showed up, and who took time to be with you. 

When we face our deepest struggles, we can rest in the fact that our God is always with us. In fact, in the book of Isaiah, Jesus is called Immanuel, meaning “God is with us.” 

When we’re struggling to find peace in the middle of our circumstances, sometimes the best thing we can do is to acknowledge God is with us and thank Him for the gift of His presence. 

And the good news is that we don’t have to do this in our own strength. When we follow Jesus, He gives us another gift—the presence of the Holy Spirit. We don’t just have to power through or muster up courage and peace on our own. Instead, we can ask the Holy Spirit to guide our lives, guard our hearts, and produce fruit that outweighs our frustration. 

As Paul reminds us: 

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. Romans 8:5-6 NLT 

When we’re consumed by our thoughts about the news, social media controversy, and all the things we’re freaked out about, we’ll naturally feel panicked and overwhelmed. And although it’s wise to be informed, we have to make sure we’re filling our minds with things that fuel our spirits. 

In fact, one way to find the peace of God is by remembering the promises of God and focusing on those promises more than your problems. 

Wondering how to start? Read Psalm 23 over and over, reminding yourself that God is with you when you face trials, go through valleys, or need comfort. Make a list of things that are true about God. For example: He is close to the brokenhearted. He provides peace that surpasses understanding. He is a refuge in times of trouble. He is our Wonderful Counselor, our Mighty God, our Prince of Peace! 

Today, if you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed, know this: God cares about you. He sees you. He loves you. He is with you. He is for you. And you can pursue peace by speaking God’s promises over your problems and surrendering your thoughts to the Holy Spirit.

Scriptures: Isaiah 9:6, 2 Peter 3:8-9, Psalms 37:23-24, Colossians 3:15, Philippians 4:6-9

Peace in the Waiting 

Yesterday, we talked about finding peace in the promises of God, but it’s even more difficult when you’re in the middle of waiting on God. We’ve all been in those seasons where it seems like God is showing up for everyone but you. Maybe you don’t have that job yet. Maybe you would like to be married, but your prospects seem slimmer than ever. Or maybe you’re waiting on a child while it seems like there are pregnancy announcements every day.

Whatever you’re waiting on, know that God has not forgotten you. He is with you in the waiting. In fact, Advent and the Christmas season are built on waiting—waiting for the Prince of Peace to enter the world and rescue all humanity from sin. 

Can you imagine how long that wait must have felt? Approximately 750 years passed between the writing of the prophecy about Jesus in Isaiah 9:6 and the birth of Jesus. For centuries, people waited, uncertain when (or whether) God would actually deliver on His promises. Then He sent His Son, Jesus!

And now? We no longer have to wait for the fulfillment of our peace. Yet we still wait for His second coming, looking forward to the day when our God will make all wrongs right. 

So, in our broken world, we experience seasons of waiting. But we know that our waiting seasons are not wasted seasons. As much as we might wish to skip forward to the fulfillment of what we hope for, it’s in the middle of our waiting that we realize who we worship. 

 Ask yourself: Am I more concerned about getting the thing I want than getting to know God? 

It’s a tough question, but it’s a worthy one to ask because it reveals who or what we worship. 

Now, here’s the thing: It’s okay to get frustrated and to cry out to God when you don’t understand His timing. In fact, He welcomes that. But our season of waiting isn’t just about getting the things we hope for. It’s about putting our hope and our trust in God. 

So maybe you can reframe your waiting season. Instead of focusing on the waiting, shift your thoughts to remembering—remembering who God is, all that He has already done, and what you know to be true about His character. 

If you’re struggling to find peace while you’re waiting, know this: 

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.Psalm 37:23-24 NLT

God is directing your story, and every detail matters to Him. He is holding you up when things get hard. And He delights in you. 

Don’t rush through the waiting process. Instead, find peace in the process by taking the time to pause and discover what God is teaching you. So, today, reflect on these questions as you wait: 

• God, what are You showing me in this waiting? 
• How might I reclaim this waiting period for Your glory and the good of others?

Scriptures: Psalms 46:10, Isaiah 53:5, Hebrews 13:20-21

Peace With God 

We’ve talked about remembering the promises of God and the character of God, but what about when you don’t feel peace with God? Maybe you’re frustrated with God because it feels like He has let you down recently. Or maybe you’re just disappointed because you can’t believe a loving God would allow such hardship in the world. 

Here’s what you need to know: God can bear the full force of your feelings. 

He’d rather you voice your concerns to Him than walk away from Him. In fact, God pursues you so wholeheartedly that He sent His own Son to earth to provide a pathway to peace for you. 

Without Jesus, we were separated from God because of our sin. And God, being a loving Father, wanted a relationship with us. So He made a way: 

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.Isaiah 53:5 NIV 

Jesus restored peace to our relationship with God, meaning that we have full and free access through Jesus to our Father who loves us, forgives us, and cares for us. It’s okay to get mad at Him when things don’t go the way you’d like—just don’t allow the pain of your circumstances to cloud the goodness of His character. 

Pastor Amy Groeschel says it like this: “We have to inform the pain of our feelings with what we know by faith is true.” 

Your feelings are valid, but don’t give them victory over you. In fact, Psalm 46:10 is packed with a powerful reminder: 

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 NIV

It instructs us to be still and know that He is God. It doesn’t say, “Be still and feel” that He is God. Our feelings are valid, but they aren’t always rooted in truth. However, God, the object of our faith, is always firm and true, so we can use our faith to filter our feelings.

That doesn’t mean we can’t ever question God. The psalms are full of David and others crying out to God, begging Him to change circumstances, and wondering whether God is listening. But they always come back to the truth—that God is good. He does have good plans for us. He is in control. And He is worthy of our worship and our trust. 

If you’re feeling like you don’t have peace with God today, inform those feelings with the power of God’s Word. And remember this good news: Jesus is our pathway to peace with God. He did the work for us. And He already paid the full price for peace.

Scriptures: John 16:33, Mark 4:35-41, 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, Psalms 34:18-19

Peace in Chaos 

Is it possible to be peaceful even when you’re in the middle of something painful? The short answer is yes, but that doesn’t make the process less painful. In fact, you can experience peace and pain at the same time. 

The disciples and early followers of Jesus knew this firsthand. They weren’t strangers to storms. And while they always remained faithful, that doesn’t mean they never experienced frustration, confusion, doubt, or anxiety. Just look at what Paul wrote about his experiences: 

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 NIV

Paul didn’t want to sugarcoat their experiences. He didn’t want people to think they found purpose without pain. But he also didn’t want to focus so much on his suffering that they missed what God was doing in the story. 

We tend to want purpose and peace without pain. We tend to think that if something isn’t going well, then it isn’t worth it. But Jesus never promised us an easy life here on earth. In fact, He made sure we knew that we would have troubles in this world. But He also left us hope and peace that He has already conquered all of it. 

And even though He’s conquered all of it, He still comforts us through it. In that same passage in 2 Corinthians, Paul writes about how they experienced God’s supernatural comfort through the chaos of their circumstances. And he presents it as an opportunity for us to extend that same comfort to others. 

We will face storms in this life. But those storms often reveal the status of our faith. Do we respond by seeing the significance of our suffering? Or do we focus on the wrong questions? 

In Mark 4, we read about a literal storm the disciples were facing. The wind and the waves were pounding, and they were concerned they would drown. Jesus, meanwhile, was sleeping on the boat. So, the disciples did what most of us would do. They frantically woke Jesus up and asked: 

… “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” Mark 4:38 NLT

Isn’t that the question we’re most tempted to ask during storms in our own lives? God,don’t You care? 

Jesus responds by settling the storm but also challenging their comfort. He cared enough to not only solve their problem but also ask about the status of their faith. 

When we know who Jesus is, we can be confident that He cares about our storms, and He is with us during them. So, can we have peace during pain? Yes. But it requires faith—trusting that our pain has purpose and our God is unfazed through the process. 

Scriptures: John 14:1-6, Revelation 21:1-7, Colossians 3:1-4, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Peace for the Future 

We often feel a lack of peace when we don’t have all the pieces of our life plan. When we don’t know how a situation will turn out, or when we feel like we can’t control the outcome, we worry. But we can find peace in a new perspective. 

We may not know what the future holds for our lives personally, but we do know how the future ends collectively—with Jesus returning to make all wrongs right. Here’s a glimpse from Revelation 21: 

“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” … Revelation 21:4-5 NIV

That knowledge can guard our hearts with peace because no matter what trials come our way, we know that God will triumph in the end. 

Jesus reminded us of this in John 14 when He told His disciples that they didn’t need to worry about where He was going because He was preparing a place for them in His Father’s house. So, we can have present peace because of our future place. 

Now, that doesn’t mean we just passively hope for eternity and do nothing on earth. Instead, we have a peace that propels us toward action—to bring more of God’s Kingdom here on earth by being peacemakers, sharing our faith, loving others, serving others, and using our gifts for His glory. And when we do so, we’re bringing some of God’s peace—wholeness—to a broken world. 

Just look at this challenging prayer we find from Paul about how to wait for Jesus’ return: 

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 NLT 

As you think about ways to find more of the missing peace in your life, remember that true peace only comes from God. He is the only One who can take our full brokenness and create something new. But as you seek Him, consider how you can share His peace with the people around you. 

Peace can’t be stolen from us. Peace is a Person. His name is Jesus. And as we celebrate His birth during Christmas, we’re reminded that we wait for His return. But we wait with purpose, and we wait with peace, knowing that our God is faithful. He is good. And He’s the missing peace our souls and our world need to be complete. 

Pray: God, thank You for sending Jesus as our peace. Fill me with more of Your joy and peace as I trust in You, and make me more like You as I wait for Your return. Today I cast all of my cares onto You, knowing that You care about them all, and You alone can carry them completely. Guide me as I become a peacemaker, and show me how to bring more of Your Kingdom here on earth. In Jesus’ name, amen.