Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you. (Job 22:21)
Many mistakenly think peace simply means the absence of war. Not true! The peace the Bible promises has nothing to do with the absence of conflict or crisis; rather, biblical peace is the presence of God with the believer, regardless of the circumstances he or she may be facing. Read on; I pray that you will be greatly encouraged today.
There is nothing in this world that can give us peace. Oh, for a time, we may think we have found some measure of peace through our prosperity or our profession or any number of pleasures. But eventually, whatever sense of peace we were experiencing gives way to unrest, simply because the things of this world cannot deliver on their promise. As I say so often here, the storms of life, whether they take the form of a virus or something quite different, will inevitably disrupt our lives. True peace—lasting peace, supernatural peace, the peace that passes all understanding—is never the absence of crisis; it is always and only found in the presence of God in Christ Jesus.
You see, the presence of Christ is untouched by the circumstances of this world. Global pandemics cannot touch it. Economic meltdowns cannot touch it. Social distancing and family separation cannot touch it. Even civil unrest and political intrigue cannot take it away. Once you have Jesus, you have a peace that transcends every test, trial, and tribulation. You have the One who endured the most terrible storm that will ever take place when He hung on a cruel cross and drank the cup of His Father’s wrath and judgment so that you and I would not have to.
If you find yourself in a place where this pandemic is testing the outer edges of your peace—“disturbing the peace,” if you will—simply shift your focus back onto your Prince of Peace and remember that He promised you that storm winds will indeed blow in this life, but that He also promised you His peace, which cannot be crushed by any crisis. “Peace I leave with you,” our Lord said; “my peace I give 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).
This is the truth the psalmist knew by way of personal experience, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep” (Psalm 4:8). May you and I, by God’s grace, know this truth as well.
You are in my prayers and in my heart.
Purpose and Passion,
Pastor Tommy
Grace for the Race 