I’ve recently been exploring the nature of God’s peace. The
church talks about peace a lot. We are all looking for more peace in our lives,
waiting for the magical day when our individual worlds have “settled down”, or
our personal struggles and hardships have subsided. But, do we really
understand this peace that we are looking for? Yes, we know that it will
“surpass our understanding”, but it seems like that is just the beginning of
what there is to know about God’s peace. One of His most desirable and sought
after gifts… But, how will we find it, or better yet realize it, if we don’t
even fully know what we are looking for??
These are some of my personal questions that have been
floating around in my brain and my heart for the past few weeks, as the Lord continues
to speak to me of His desire for me to dwell in His peace.
It seems that trust and peace go hand in hand. The specific times that I remember letting go and following the Lords guidance, or speaking up when He prompts me to say something, I remember having a complete ease because I was trusting that it was His words and His actions I was delivering
So, what are the things that separate from the Father’s
peace? The peace that He wants to freely give… I have found part of the separation to be my tendency to
worry, rather than surrender and trust the Lord. Another tendency that separates is working out of my own (very limited) strength, rather
than relying on the Lord’s.
But, I am beginning to see that part of our inability to
find true, lasting peace is the sheer misunderstanding of it. Peace has been
turned into some kind of lethargic state of accepting crappy circumstances. I
find myself sitting around waiting for this all-inclusive novocaine for life,
and all that life entails.
But, something that has grabbed my attention is that at the
end of Ephesians when the Armor of God is described, Peace comes into the
picture when Paul addresses our feet.
“For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News
so that you will be fully prepared.” Ephesians 6:15 (NLT)
Peace is not our helmet, so that we can sit around with
oblivious, sheltered thoughts. Peace is not our belt that holds everything in
place. That is the truth of the Word of God that we must willingly learn and
walk in. Peace is not our shield to hide behind. Our faith in Christ is our shield
and bold defense against the enemy’s attacks.
Our shoes are our peace. Peace is active. It’s on the move.
It’s in the midst of battle!
So here’s a little reverse psychology that hit me recently…
If I am not “feeling” the Lord’s peace, maybe I should look down and see if my
feet are moving. Perhaps acting in
faith, thinking in truth, and moving in trust will allow God the opportunity to
offer His peace.
Peace is meant to be with us constantly, and cushion our
walk as we “fight the good fight” and spread the gospel. Maybe we just
stop noticing how comfortable our shoes are when we stop walking???
