Reading Time 6 mins 37 secs –
What does “peace” look like for you?
An illustrated children’s book that came out years ago told the story of an elephant mom who just wanted “five minutes’ peace” away from her energetic elephant children.
For her, “peace” meant escaping alone to a warm bath with something to read, a cup of tea, some cake, and no interruptions. But in the end, she barely managed to get three minutes and forty-five seconds of the peace she sought. (And moms everywhere can probably relate to that.)
Everyone’s definition of “peace” is different. For some people, peace does mean finally getting five minutes alone, but for others, it means being surrounded by family and friends. For others, finding peace means a getaway or a vacation, reaching a certain point financially, traveling less for a job, traveling more for a job, living closer to family, living farther from family, laying under the stars, feeling settled in a decision… the list is truly endless.
If you had asked me years ago what peace looked like for me, I probably would’ve told you that it looked like getting out of the financial black hole I was in. But there was even more to it than that.
You may have heard our backstory, but when Drenda and I got married, we were broke. I made money. I just didn’t make enough. Everything we had was used, broken, or worn out. We owed a lot of people a lot of money.
Yes, we loved God. We really, truly loved God. I had an Old Testament degree, and we even led praise and worship at our church, but fear was my middle name. Everything that happened that required money set off emotional fires.
I was having panic attacks. I couldn’t sleep at night. I had no peace.
You may have also heard me tell a story about a time I had a tooth infection during those chaotic years, a really painful tooth infection. It was so painful that I couldn’t sleep, and I couldn’t think straight. To fight the pain, I took two Tylenol every four hours for several days in a row.
One night, I was up trying to cope with the pain when I decided to read the Tylenol box for some reason. You can probably guess what happened. I read on the box that you’re not supposed to take Tylenol as frequently as I had been taking it.
And that’s when fear really set in.
OH NO, GARY! YOU’VE TAKEN TOO MUCH!
I called Poison Control and told them I had taken two tablets of Tylenol too many for the last three days. The girl on the other end of the line said, “We have never had someone live that took that dosage. Either you drive yourself to the hospital, or I’m sending an ambulance after you right now.”
No, I’m not kidding. She actually said that, and I actually believed her.
So there I was in complete fear and panic, and I drove myself to the hospital. When I got to the emergency room, two guys were pacing back and forth out front, waiting for me. When I walked in, my name was already on the dry-erase board. It said, “Keesee—overdose.”
Obviously, I didn’t overdose. In fact, a doctor came in after they ran a bunch of tests and asked me why I was even there. He said, “You don’t even have enough Tylenol in your system to cure a headache.” Yes, it’s funny now, but it sure wasn’t in the moment.
My issue, however, was way bigger than a Tylenol scare.
I was desperately trying to survive financially, emotionally, and even physically. I couldn’t seem to find peace, no matter how hard I tried.
I know I’m not the only one who has been there.
People are always looking for peace.
There’s the mom whose kids keep fighting, the businessman with an unstable career, the young woman on antidepressants, the teenage boy on drugs, the couple that can’t ever agree on their finances, the grandmother who can’t sleep at night because she’s worrying about her family—they’re all hungry for peace.
The world is hungry for peace.
People will spend a lot of money and time searching for peace. We buy things, try to find moments, or strive to achieve something because we believe those things, moments, or achievements will bring peace.
But peace can’t be found in any thing, place, or achievement.
The word “peace” in Hebrew is “shalom,” which means wholeness, completeness, harmony, prosperity, welfare, security, and tranquility. Nothing is missing, and nothing is broken. It’s freedom from the distress experienced as a result of sin. Peace covers all of that.
Jesus came to give us true peace.
In John 14:27, Jesus tells the disciples that He’s leaving, but He’s leaving His peace with them.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
—John 14:27 (KJV)
Can you imagine what the disciples were thinking and saying?
He can’t leave! He calmed the storm when we were on the boat!
But He always knows how to calm our fears!
He helped us understand priorities and what life was about!
Every time we were afraid, He gave us courage!
He healed so many and raised them from the dead! We can’t be confident without Him around!
Do you remember when He told us how to pay our taxes? What are we going to do?!?
You and I probably would have reacted the same way. After all, if you had one person to go to who had all the answers for every situation, who could calm your fears, and who could calm the storms in your life with just one word, how do you think you’d react if they said they were leaving you?
Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” because the disciples WERE troubled and afraid.
Jesus was their peace. They didn’t know how to function without Him, or at least they thought they didn’t. But Jesus was trying to tell them He was leaving them a great gift. Yes, He was the Prince of Peace, but He had peace because of what He had on the inside—the Holy Spirit. And He told them, “My peace (Holy Spirit) I give to you.”
The Holy Spirit is the One who counseled Jesus. Jesus walked by the power and peace of the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus was anointed by God. Jesus was one with the Father and could hear His voice.
And He passed that on to YOU and ME.
In John 14:26, Jesus says:
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
—John 14:26 (KJV)
See that?
God is the God of Peace because He’s the God of
answers. He has given us the Holy Spirit, who knows exactly how to handle every situation. The Bible calls Him a “Comforter.” To comfort doesn’t mean to console, hug, and show your love for someone.
What comforts you when you’re sick? Healing.
What comforts you when you need money? Money.
What comforts you when you need answers? Answers.
Friend, the search for peace is over.
You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].
—Isaiah 26:3 (AMP)
You DO have someone to go to who has every answer for every situation in your life. One who will calm your fears and the storms in your life and One who says He will never leave or forsake you.
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