HOW DO YOU ACQUIRE A PEACE THAT CAN SEEM SO ELUSIVE?

SCRIPTURE:
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 
will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  
(Philippians 4:7)

MEDITATION:
Peace – a commodity that many seek but have trouble finding.
Webster defines it as – ‘freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility’.
Whenever we see someone at peace, it shows in their countenance.
There is just something pleasant about them that is obvious to everyone.

However, the peace we receive from God 
goes much deeper than any peace the world may have to offer.
A person without God’s peace can become unraveled 
whenever something traumatic or stressful enters their lives.
But those with the peace of God 
have an unusual way of coping with these situations.
As the scriptures say, it is a peace ‘which surpasses all understanding’.

God’s peace ‘guards our hearts and minds’.
That means we are protected from the devastating thoughts and emotions 
that can be overwhelming, whenever we are blindsided by something traumatic.
It also means that our thinking doesn’t get clouded 
during the stresses we of life.

All of us have faced different stressful situations in our lives.
Some can become stressed when trying to manage a household.
Others can become stressed with unreasonable deadlines at work.
There are many more examples, but it is important to note that we have 
either experienced stress already, or we will have it at some point in our life.

With that truth in mind, we all need the peace that only God can provide.
We will still experience problems in our lives, 
but we will have an ability to cope with them.
It doesn’t mean that we enjoy them, but when they come, 
they don’t destroy us mentally, physically and emotionally.

An example of the unusual peace from God:
As the high school chorale prepared to sing 
Horatio G. Spafford’s classic hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul,” 
a teen stepped forward to tell the song’s familiar history. 
Spafford wrote the song while on a ship 
that was near the spot at sea where his four daughters perished.

How could it be “well” for Spafford in his grief? 
Paul tells us that peace can be found when we voice our heartfelt prayers to God.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, 
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)
Through trustful praying, we unburden our hearts, divest our anxieties, 
and release the grip on our grief. 

ACTION:
Do you have a struggle finding peace in the midst of a storm?
Use the advice from Paul and ‘connect’ with God.
He is the One Who can give you an unusual peace, so that you can sing,
     When peace, like a river, attendeth my way
     When sorrows like sea-billows roll
     Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
     It is well, it is well with my soul.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, help me to know that even in the midst of pain and grief, 
You are there with me. Help me to have confidence that You will comfort 
and guide me through the valleys. Teach me to pray in the manner that will 
allow me to receive the peace that only You can give.”