Finding the peace we need for the turbulent times
I think my television remote’s “mute button” is beginning to wear out. By this point in the political season, I just don’t want to listen to the rhetoric or the ugly ads any longer. A mute button brings a refreshing silence into the room and our lives.
God recommends we find a mute button for the world if we want to experience his peace in our lives. We need to pursue silence so we can listen for his peace-filled voice instead. The prophet Isaiah praised God, saying, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:3–4).
The moment we realize that the world’s angst is controlling our thoughts and choices, we need to focus on God and trust him. That trust in God is our “everlasting rock” and our source of peace for the turbulent times of life.
The peace of God
There are so many important news stories right now, any of which would carry a normal news cycle. I check on Israel throughout the day as tensions in the Middle East continue to remain a significant crisis. I’m grieving for the thousands of people along the East Coast, especially in North Carolina, who have had their entire lives upended by the hurricane. I like to keep up with the ever-changing news about the presidential election. I don’t think I’ve watched this much news since 9/11 and 2020.
Each day, I have to remind myself to pursue God and his word more than I pursue the news of this world. I was reading a long list of Bible verses about God’s peace when I saw Jesus’ words to his disciples. He was sending them out into the world to do ministry when he said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34–36).
Jesus told us not to expect the gospel message to give peace to the world. In many cases, sharing the gospel will divide us from others. But Jesus also promised his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
The peace of God we need for the turbulent times of life is a gift from God through Jesus Christ. God’s peace is not something we can create for ourselves or discover in the world. Instead, it is something we receive from the Creator of the world.
How do we receive the peace of God?
Again, God’s peace is a gift we must receive. How can we open our hearts, hands, and lives to allow God to pour out his peace?
- Position ourselves to receive his peace. Paul told the church in Rome, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). When the world seems volatile or our lives are stress-filled, we can set our minds on the reality of the Spirit’s work in our lives and trust that God’s perfect peace will follow.
- Trust we need God’s peace more than the peace the world offers. As Christians, we should love God’s word more than we love the promises of the world. “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble” (Psalm 119:165). We are hearing a lot of “promises” from politicians and others these days that we might like to believe, but common sense tells us those are goals or possibilities rather than promises. God’s word contains promises that we can trust as truth. If we will love his word that promises our peace, we will not “stumble” over our disappointments.
- Understand that God’s peace is our blessing as we acknowledge and follow his guiding Presence in our lives. The church in the city of Corinth experienced a number of turbulent times. Some of their troubles came from within the church, while others came from without. Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians saying, “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:11). When God is invited to join you in your tough times, he arrives with his gift of perfect peace.
Live with God’s peace as our visible witness
Over the years, I have seen the reality of God’s peace in the lives of his children. As a minister’s wife, I have sat and prayed with people who were going through the worst moments of their lives. The moments can be painful and the future is unknowable, but the Presence of God in those turbulent moments can be a tangible reality. When God was invited into those moments, his Presence brought a peace that truly was beyond understanding.
I have been blessed to witness the work of God’s Holy Spirit in the lives of his children, and I have seen God’s power. I don’t question God’s peace because I have witnessed it.
That’s why God allows those moments to be part of our earthly lives. Because, as James wrote, you should, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4).
Let’s make the effort to mute the world’s news and the world’s promises this week. Let’s choose instead to enjoy the quiet peace of God’s promises and the reality of his Presence in our lives. There are so many things to care about right now, but nothing is more important than trusting God’s word and receiving his peace for each day.
Will you find and use that mute button today? May his perfect peace be your great reward.