What if peace is bigger than just a nice feeling? What if God’s peace guards our hearts and our minds? What if it indwells? What if it does not actually take away the pain of a circumstance but offers calm within it? God’s peace can drench our hearts, our minds, every cell in our bodies, and every molecule of energy in our spirits.
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Day 1
Scripture: Philippians 4:4-7
Peace Is The Result
The most grounded and centered state of mental health that most of us have experienced is when we experience a sense of peace. True, deep peace is experienced not just in our minds, but our whole body experiences its blessing. The Bible speaks a lot about peace. In Galatians, we see it listed as a fruit of the Spirit that, when we live in unity with the Holy Spirit, we see peace as evidence of His work in us. This, to me, is a great indicator that peace isn’t something that’s subject to our circumstances, but rather it’s the result of our faith.
In the passage where Paul is writing to the church in Philippi, he talks about peace ‘which transcends all understanding’ and goes on to position it as the state that protects our hearts and our minds. Paul reveals peace to be the result of rejoicing, letting go of anxieties (i.e. trusting in God’s goodness even when we can’t see it), prayer, and thankfulness. Peace isn’t what we strive for, but rather peace is the result of living a faith that is rejoicing, trusting, prayerful and thankful. Peace is the fruit of a life that’s growing in faith beyond our circumstances.
If our minds are filled with confusion, worry, stress, and anxiety, the solution is presented in this passage. Rejoice. Trust. Pray. Be thankful. He will do His good work and offer in return His peace that is good in all seasons.
Question to consider: To what extent am I living in a state of peace?
Day 2
Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:16
Indwelling Peace
I know a man whose mother died late in 2022. It was sad, of course, but both she and he knows and love Jesus, and God’s peace accompanied them through the time of her illness and hospitalisation, and him following her death and in the aftermath. It provided confidence and calmness, even during the illness and sadness and decisions that had to be made.
Peace with God is not circumstantial. It is not dependent on how we feel or where we are or whether it’s sunny or raining, a good day or not so good. Peace is not dependent on the alignment of a bunch of things falling into place at the right time. It’s not even about agreement. God’s peace dwells in us.
A lack of peace doesn’t mean war. It could be disharmony in relationships, or antagonism or suspicion. These are external factors that lead away from peace. The peace of God is about inner peace, a calmness, and surety that, no matter the situation or circumstance, I know God is with me, and that’s all that matters.
King David, during his times of turmoil and life, wrote, ‘In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety’ (Psalm 4:8 NIV).
A prayer: Loving Lord, in the midst of our lives, let us know your peace. Calm our troubled hearts and remind us that you are there with us and close to us at all times and in all places. Amen
Written by DAVID BARKER
Day 3
Scripture: Philippians 4:4-7
Give Peace A Chance
The notion of peace can be so diverse. At a temporal level, people find it in everything from a quiet cup of tea, a crackling campfire, a beautiful sunset, or even headphones blasting out heavy metal. On a global scale, you can have a peace treaty that could save millions of lives or signify the end of a world war.
But then, we have the peace referred to in today’s reading. The big kahuna! ‘The peace of God’! So powerful, so effectual, yet so baffling that it ‘surpasses all understanding.’ Many of us know today’s scripture, but how do you get a handle on it and, more importantly, get some of that life-changing peace in your life?
It’s worth noting that this scripture starts with a very important little three-letter word: ‘And.’ So, as is often the case, it’s pertinent to look at the few verses before where we find a kind of short roadmap that helps us to arrive at verse 7.
Verse 4: ‘Rejoice’ – us having an attitude of joy.
Verse 5: ‘Show gentleness’ – our witness to others.
Verse 6: ‘Pray’ – our relationship with God.
These bring us to a place where we are encompassed in the peace of God. What an awesome gift. Talk about ‘inner peace’! But as for understanding it, well, it does say that it surpasses all understanding, and I suppose that ‘all’ includes you and me as well. So, relax. We can’t and never will fully understand it. That’s the point. It’s all about trust. Think of this: whenever I get on an aircraft, I don’t ‘understand’ aerodynamics, engineering, or thrust versus lift. I don’t need to. My job is to trust and enjoy the ride. Peace out.
Written by ROBBIE PARKIN
Day 4
Scripture: John 14:27
What Is ‘Peace’?
In recent years – and even on a few occasions in the last couple of months – protestors have taken to the streets to campaign for various causes: covid lockdown laws, Black Lives Matter, women’s rights, divisive government policies, and more.
I remember, at one point, someone asking me what I thought Jesus would say to the protestors. It felt like a question that was supposed to draw an opinion about what I thought Jesus’ view would be on the different issues being raised and who was wrong and who was right.
What came to mind though – after a considerable pause – wasn’t an opinion but an image: I saw Jesus walking up alongside the raging crowd of thousands, hearing their voices and the intensity of their message, and placing a hand on the chest of a man and saying, ‘Peace.’ The man was yelling, the man was crying for a solution, and Jesus gently said, ‘Peace.’
I think what Jesus offers us in a world gone mad is peace.
Yes, there are causes worth fighting for and rights to be vocalised, but there are also fears to be alleviated and priorities to be reordered. When our hearts are at peace, I think God offers us the ability to distinguish between the two.
The peace Jesus offers us isn’t one that promises perfection or the abolishment of heartache. It’s a peace that calms our troubled hearts no matter the validity of what concerns it. It’s a peace that endures and that – unlike worldly peace – isn’t contingent upon circumstance.
Written by LAURA BENNETT
Day 5
Scripture: Galatians 5:22-26
In Step With The Spirit
I have never really understood if the fruit-of-the-Spirit list is in order of priority. Other people who know more about this may be able to tell us. Whatever the case, I don’t imagine that ‘peace’ coming in at Number 3 is any kind of slight or afterthought. Same goes for the rest of the fruit basket.
Don’t you find it remarkable that living by and keeping in step with the Spirit cultivates such amazing stuff? For the past few years, I’ve been memorising the fruit of the Spirit as I attempt to remind myself of what is growing inside me. Peace is just one part of this Spirit fruit salad that I’ve tried to chew on meaningfully rather than rattle it off like a shopping list.
Surrounded by other qualities of God and Jesus, the peace mentioned here strikes me as a contented inner and outer state. I can be not-at-war within myself AND not-at-war outside. In the footsteps of the Prince of Peace, we are spiritually empowered to not be in opposition to the God who loves and leads us. We also can fight the good fight of ‘love your enemy’ rather than, well, fight our enemies.
I know this can just sound like words. Easier to say. Tougher to practice. Good news from Galatians 5, though, is the Spirit grows its godly orchard in us. Pick from it.
Day 6
Scriptures: Colossians 1:19-20, Isaiah 26:3
True Peace
In English, the word ‘peace’ means ‘an absence of conflict,’ but in the Hebrew Bible the word peace comes from the word ‘shalom,’ which doesn’t just mean the absence of conflict but the presence of something so much better. Simply, ‘shalom’ means ‘complete or whole’, nothing is missing and everything is in its place. It’s a powerful word filled with ancient meaning. The concept of ‘shalom’ is based around the idea that life is complex and full of moving parts. When any of these parts are missing, you can lose your ‘shalom.’
True peace (shalom) is found in the person of Jesus, ‘… through him, God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross (Colossians 1:20 NLT). He made peace by restoring to wholeness the relationship between humans and their creator. When our peace is restored, we carry that with us and become people of peace who share in the knowledge of what Jesus did to bring peace to all.
Peace is about taking what’s broken and restoring it to wholeness, whether it’s in our lives, our relationships, or our world. Sometimes with the chaos of life, peace can feel very far off. In Isaiah, we discover a promise: ‘You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!’ (Isaiah 26:3 NLT).
It’s very easy to get caught up in the challenges of life and lose our focus on Jesus. When we do, we can lose our peace, but when we keep our hearts and minds focused on Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we are complete – nothing is missing and everything is in its place.