Peace For a Reason

I believe that where there is peace, there is God. This is a belief that has shaped many decisions that I have made throughout my life. It is a truth that I count on when I'm trying to decipher what is of my Jesus and what is of the world or a tactic of the enemy.

Like many words, the word "peace" tends to vary in it's meaning. Sometimes peace is equated with harmony and equality, something that the peace sign of the 1970's represented in a universal fashion. Peace is also described as being "chilled and relaxed", and mothers of young children have been known to attempt to lock themselves in a bathroom or a closet for some "peace and quiet".

I know that when I don't feel peace, something isn't quite right. It is a sign to me that I need to tune my ears and search a little bit deeper; A sign that I need to gingerly test the water with the tips of my toes before I immerse myself in an ocean. I do believe that as Christians we can often get too caught up in how we "feel" about God and what He is doing in our lives. This is dangerous, because how we feel is often not the truth. However, I do believe that the Holy Spirit can give us a sense, a "knowing" of something that is of Him. I also believe that the more anniversaries that we celebrate in our relationship with Jesus, the more we will able to feel and hear Him in such a fashion. Similar to a marriage of 30 years in which they have developed an intimate "knowing" of each other. A true intimacy that surpasses words.

Where there is peace, there is God.

Up until the last year of my life, I always thought that if there was peace and there was God, that it was going to be a good and desirable thing for my life. That open doors to new opportunities meant fulfilling success and happiness. Surely if God gives me peace in something, there must be a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow, right? Such was my naive perspective on God's peace. Let me share with you what I've learned:

I've learned that if where there is peace, there is God, that is where I will go and that is what I'll do. In Psalms 139 it says in great and beautiful detail that God knows us better then we know ourselves. With this truth at hand, isn't it safe to say that if God wants us to go somewhere or do something, that He would give us that peace?  If we knew that the road was going to be rocky, a heart was going to be broken, something would be stolen and hardship was on the horizon, we wouldn't go near such a path. However, what I have learned is that sometimes God gives His children peace so that we do go near that path. He knows that without that peace, we would bend to the element of our humanity that by nature wants to avoid pain, hardship and things that just plain don't "feel good". 

The peace of God is not a sign that there is no storm on the sea, but a sign that God is with you in that storm, calling you to lay your head on his lap and allow Him to shelter you with His mighty arms. The peace of God is a sign that "all is well", despite what circumstances you may find yourself in this life. 

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."-John 14:27

I believe that the world wants us to learn to equate peace with happiness, but truly God wants us to equate peace with the promise that His presence is constant and He will "...never leave you nor forsake you."-Deuteronomy 31:6.  

Friends, God gives us peace for a reason. Where there is peace, there is God. May you have the courage to fall into that peace as a young child falls into the arms of his mother, as a woman falls into the arms of her strong and capable lover. There is peace for a reason, but the peace that He gives knows no season.