Chapter 1
God’s Divine Peace: What Is It?
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6, 7, NIV
Inner peace is a difficult concept to define, but it is easy to identify its
absence. Like joy, it goes beyond mere emotion. And it certainly transcends
circumstance. Peace is the ability to lie in bed at night, look up at the
ceiling, and know everything is going to be all right when everything really
isn’t all right. Peace is an inner settledness.
—Charles Stanley
The supernatural peace of God is a curious peace. It appears during the wild
and windy storms of life. It thrives on the precipices of faith. It bears
fruit when savage trials corner believers, threatening to devour them. In
these moments of tribulation, those who flee to the Shadow of the Almighty
find He is the Rock in a Weary Land, the Shelter in the Time of Storm, the
Cleft in the Rock, the All-sufficient One, the Comforter, the Great
Physician, the Prince of Peace.
God’s peace is . . .
* comfort when you are grieving.
* shelter beneath His wings.
* shade in a spiritual desert.
* safety when you’re threatened.
* forgiveness when you’ve erred.
* security in the face of danger.
* knowing you have a home in heaven.
* having freedom in your soul even if your body is imprisoned.
* liberation from a sinful past.
* accepting God’s forgiveness.
* knowing Jesus.
We find God’s peace in . . .
* learning the promises of His Word, the Bible.
* believing His promises are true.
* trusting that God loves you.
* unconditionally accepting His will for your life.
* continuing to trust Him regardless of your circumstances.
* accepting God’s forgiveness for your sins.
* crowning Jesus Lord of your life.
* knowing Jesus.
Witnesses of God’s Peace
Life is tough. It often seems cruel, capricious, and unfair. Yet in the
midst of all that life throws at you, God can give you His supernatural
peace. When God gives supernatural peace, it doesn’t mean that you will
float away on a pink cloud or that all of your teardrops will magically
transform into butterflies. It does mean that God walks beside you through
the storms of life-and even if the storm is caused by your own sin and
disobedience, God still extends His nail-pierced hand to you.
In His hand, you’ll find His strength, comfort, healing, help, wisdom, and
courage. Take His hand, as did these people, and find peace in His presence.
“When I was in college and unmarried,” said Kelly, “I got pregnant and
aborted a baby. At the time, I knew my lifestyle was wrong and I knew it was
murder to have an abortion, but I did it anyway.
“I was okay until I gave birth to another child, my daughter, and then I
realized what I had done. I was responsible for the death of my own child. I
was haunted by what I had done. I tried everything-counseling, talking to
pastors, apologizing to my unborn baby-but nothing gave me peace until I
confessed my sin to God and asked Him for forgiveness.
“It sounds simple, but it took me a long time before I could believe that
God would forgive me. My sin was against Him as well as my unborn child. I
can’t bring back my lost baby. Nothing will change that, but I am free from
the guilt. I have peace because God has forgiven me.”
“I raised my children to know God,” said Cynthia, “but all three have chosen
to go their own way. Naturally, I’m devastated they have all turned their
backs on the Lord, but I don’t feel like the situation is hopeless. I raised
them right; I have faith in the upbringing I gave them. I believe the Bible
when it says if we raise up children in the way they should go, they will
not depart from it. But even more than that, I have peace because on a daily
basis, I bring my children before the throne of the Almighty. I pray for His
protection over them and His intervention in their lives. I trust Him, and
while the way they live grieves me, I have peace that God will bring them
back to Himself.”
“I worked for that company for 32 years,” said Herb. “I would have had three
more years until I could have retired with full benefits. Of course, I’m
unhappy that they declared bankruptcy, but God hasn’t gone out of business.
He’s in control.
“It would be a lie to say I’m not uneasy, because I am. There is something
about the unknown that makes a person a little nervous, but that’s not to
say I don’t trust God. I know He’s doing something. I’m in a state of alert,
a listening-for-His-voice phase.
“I don’t know what He’s going to do with my life. I still have kids in
college and my wife to support. But God knows my needs. I’ve asked Him for
help. I can trust Him to take care of me.”
“When my wife left me and took the boys,” said Nick, “I went into shock for
a while. I didn’t know where she was and I couldn’t believe she was gone. I
still don’t have a satisfactory answer as to why she left me. I know I did
some things wrong in our marriage, but I didn’t think it was as bad as all
that!
“At first, I was mad at God, mad at her, mad at her parents, mad at the
whole world. After a while, when I realized that it wasn’t God’s fault, I
started going back to church, reading my Bible, and praying.
“God knows I’m a married kind of guy; He knows I don’t want to spend my life
alone and without my sons. I used to tell God what I wanted Him to do about
this situation-and then I’d be frustrated because He didn’t handle things
the way I told Him. Now I ask Him instead what He wants me to do about the
situation. Sometimes, I sense God saying, ‘Call her and just talk. Or better
yet, don’t talk, listen!’ Sometimes, He says, ‘Don’t do nothing,’ and I
don’t like that, but I’ve found out the hard way that it’s better if I
listen to Him and not run ahead of His will.
“I don’t know how this situation with my wife and kids will turn out, but
I’ve got a peace about it. That doesn’t mean God is going to just do what I
want-I know better-but it means God is in control. He’ll eventually work it
out for good. Sometimes that’s hard for me to accept-but when I just trust
Him, I am peaceful.”
“I know God called me to be a missionary,” Lori said, “but I have to raise
all of this support money to go. When the mission organization first told me
how much money I had to have pledged, I thought, No way! But little by
little, God has supplied. I’m not sure how He’ll do it, but I have a peace
that God will pull all of the pledges together. It’s actually kind of fun to
watch where all of the money comes from!”
God Speaks Peace in the Language of Your Soul
For those who are exhausted, like Elijah, God comforts in a Still, Small Voice.
For those who are insecure, like Moses, God directs from a burning bush.
For those who are angry, like Saul, God knocks to the ground and speaks like thunder.
For those who are willing, like Jesus, God sends a dove to pronounce a blessing.
For those who are confused, like Jacob, God extends a ladder from heaven to show His accompanying power.
For those who are in harm’s way, like Lot and his family, God sends angels to give direction.
For those who are persecuted, like Joseph, God sends dreams to encourage.
For those who need deliverance, like Moses and the children of Israel, God send a strong wind to part the sea.
For those who need safe passage, like Jesus and the disciples, God calms the sea.
For those who are in need, like the Israelites in the wilderness, God sends manna.
For those driven mad by the conflicts of life, like Saul, God sends the Psalms.
For those who are imprisoned, like Paul and Silas, God sends a song in the night.
Whoever you are, whatever your need, God speaks peace in the language of your soul.