I think this is the 1st day (so far) where I couldn’t decide which reflection question I wanted to write about. Obviously the goal is to reflect on each question, but I planned to choose the one that I felt most led to speak on. Then I remembered that this reflection challenge isn’t set in stone and I can do as I am led to.
Q1: What does God’s peace mean to me?
Q2: What obstacles or internal struggles prevent me from fully embracing the peace that comes from God?
Q3: How can I strengthen my relationship with God to cultivate lasting peace?
People have called me a “woman of few words” and I’m sure that’s partly because they do not read my blogs, or they would know that’s far from the truth. lol But it’s because I only speak for the edification or building up for others and not for myself. I’ve learned over time that words can be empty, actions are not. Plus having to be held accountable for each one kind of helps too. lol
That’s why reflecting on peace stirred up so much emotions for me. I lived my whole life without peace. Even at the early stages of walking with Christ, I had no real peace. I could write novels on my experiences with “peace” or should I say lack of. And even as I reflect on His peace now, my heart can’t steady itself long enough to truly articulate all that Christ has done for me in this area.
So, I won’t even bother. I’ll get straight to the point.
Worldly peace is based off of external circumstances. So, an example of this brings me to my childhood and upbringing. I had no trust in the people around me to protect, encourage, or guide me whatsoever. This isn’t because I didn’t want to trust them, this is because of the experiences I faced in spite of trusting them. Which only proved I couldn’t. This is not to shame my loved ones, because I now understand that everyone’s life is just a reflection of what they don’t know. Which was clearly the only thing that we needed to; Jesus.
I use that example more as an attempt at exposing how deceitful and crafty the enemy is and to prove that no one is exempt from his schemes, no matter the age.
As I sat with this scripture for a moment. The part that says “A peace that surpasses all understanding” kind of proved what is said in John 14:27. That His peace is not like the peace the world gives. Because the world doesn’t give peace, it takes it. The world’s peace is superficial and based off of human emotions (which is futile) and only temporary. Worldly peace leaves you at the mercy of every kind of evil known to man. That’s why we have no true peace without Christ.
Before we give our life to Christ, we lack peace, because we are not at peace with Him (Romans 5:1). Then when we seek out His peace because we realize this world offers none. (Isaiah 59:8) That leads us to reconciliation with God. Then when we reconcile with God and get “saved”, we still have no real peace. That’s because our understanding of His peace, doesn’t match our expectation of what we thought peace was. Why? It’s hard to have peace in the midst of trials when we expected that following Christ meant we would have none. His peace is rest and contentment in trials, it’s not from the absence of them.
If His word says that His peace surpasses my understanding, I believe it. Because I have experienced so much peace in the hardest seasons of life. And as much as I’d like to claim that’s because I am strong or exempt from pain it’s not. It’s because I chose to focus on the 2nd part of that scripture that says that His peace WILL guard my heart and mind. It’s easier for me to believe that He will, when I trust that He will. Because unlike my experiences with trusting people of this world, He has never broken one promise to me yet. That’s why His peace is rooted in faith and trust. If you don’t believe in God (faith) or trust in Him, you can never have the peace that surpasses all understanding, because that peace is only found in Him.
Not sure if I answered all three questions, but the answer to all three questions is Jesus.
Sinners4christ 
Leave a comment