PEACE BY PIECE
Does peace feel like it’s hiding somewhere and you’re trying to find it? Does it feel like especially these days it really is hard to find?
A number of things are usually facing us for sure. We typically have issues we have to handle daily that are on our minds pretty constantly. I can’t possibly name them all, way too many to count for some of us. You know yours. I know mine. Those are things that take our peace. Or maybe, in some cases, steal our peace right from under us. Stuff that’s out of our control. Prices, politics, people, and predicaments of the worst kind in our midst.
I can remember times when life was so full of
responsibilities that my mind would be racing from one thought and thing to
another, never really landing in a manageable place, and particularly not a place of peace. It was constant SELF TALK:
YOU HAVE TO DO THIS. YOU HAVE TO GO THERE. I HAVE TO WORK. YOU HAVE TO FINISH
THIS. YOU NEED TO PAY THAT. YOU GOTTA PICK UP THE KIDS. GET GROCERIES. SEE
ABOUT OTHER MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY. HOW AM I GOING TO MAKE IT? LIFE FEELS CRAZY
AND OUT OF CONTROL. AND, how in the world can I fix this? How can I stop what feels like madness
just trying to manage my life? Where is the time to do it all going to come from?
Where is the money to do it all going to come from? Can I make this STOP now, please?
Here’s what’s really weird: It never really occurred to me
that what I needed was called PEACE. I spent most of my time trying to answer
those questions in some kind of practical and logical way and resolve, by
trying to right the things I thought were wrong; by trying to adjust where I
needed to; by trying to fix whatever I could; but still, parts of me felt drained, rattled, unsettled and uncertain about so much. Many, many people are
experiencing some of, or everything, I described to you, and unfortunately, so many even worse case scenarios.
Instead of understanding that the goal is to put PEACE
ITSELF in place of these challenges, we go about doing what we think will work
to help us get to CONTROL of it all; or we might decide that there really is no such place.
BUT THERE IS: THE PEACE OF GOD.
Now, let me ask you this: before you gained all the insight
you have now about life, how many of us said in the midst of all our anxious moments,
days, months and years I WANT THE PEACE OF GOD? I never ever thought about
PEACE being what I needed, let alone the PEACE OF GOD. When I just consider the
thought of it now, it sounds perfect, powerful and profound. It’s what I really want,
and I am sure you do, too. But, we search in so many of the wrong places, and in the wrong ways for it.
Life’s scenarios historically was different when Paul
expressed what he said; what was not different was life’s pressures, concerns,
difficulties, conflicts and hardships. Life has always had anxieties and
uncertainties about the future. Not just that, but he was also referring to the
scrutiny and persecution that they faced about their Christian religion, and
the fighting, arguing and disagreements that was also huge distraction, disturbing life and fellowship. He told
them "Do not be anxious about anything (about all of this stuff), but in
every situation (in all of it that’s going on), by prayer and petition (instead
of doing so much trying to figure it all out)...PRAY and MAKE YOUR CASES BEFORE
GOD… present your requests (ALL THOSE THINGS ON YOUR MIND AND HEART, GOING ON
WITH YOU AND IN YOUR LIFE)…PRESENT IT to God. And the PEACE OF GOD... will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Sounds easy enough, right? We present our situations to God,
and await our PEACE, right? Indeed God will give us that PEACE, because it is a
PROMISE. Here is what we can’t miss: in all of the expectations that we have: God will also give us direction, guidance, wisdom and sensibilities about the
EVERYTHING, the EVERY SITUATION Paul is speaking of; ALL OF WHAT we are
bringing to HIM. Paul gives lots of instruction as well. God gives us
instructions as well, too. It may be in HIS WORD. It may be something we hear
from the PULPIT. It may be a FLASH OF INSIGHT from THE HOLY SPIRIT.
It may be something we read or see or hear from someone, or it could be something we learn. God
has many ways that we can follow his leading on getting PEACE. One thing is for
sure, it does not come just naturally. It comes SPIRITUALLY. The kind we need
and want comes from God: the PEACE OF GOD. Supernatural PEACE. We often have to
make common sense moves and decisions. RID ourselves of things we have taken on
and that are now a BURDEN. STOP dealing with people who have shown us that they
don’t mean well. STOP the bad habits, whatever they are. Organize better. Plan
better. Be better in our behaviors and actions. Make every effort to fight fears with faith. Make every effort to avoid choas with committments to change yourself and circumstances. Make every effort to release anxieties and start practicing resolving matters that are overwhelming you. These decisions make a difference.
We want the PEACE but somehow want it in the midst of the
chaos, without ever doing anything about things going on with us. Paul told them what to do: PRAY. I am going to flip this script a little bit
without doing any damage to it and make this suggestion to you because it has
worked best for me. Here’s the result Paul talked about: the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. That’s our victory and
our goal with Paul’s instruction here.
What if we entered the prayer saying: "God, I want YOUR PEACE
promised here. I NEED YOUR PEACE promised here. I need the PEACE that GUARDS MY
HEART AND MIND regarding the issues I am about to put before you. I need the
SUPERNATURAL PEACE in my circumstances that I KNOW ONLY YOU CAN GIVE ME. Here
are my concerns, here are my situations." This is the same thing Paul said, but
your first request is the PEACE THAT IS PROMISED in that scripture. The result
is the same, you just came asking CLEARLY, PLAINLY AND AS PART OF YOUR
PETITION, for the PEACE FIRST:
Try praying it this way: "God, I'm asking for the peace from YOU that will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. I will not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, in this prayer and petition, I present my requests to YOU, God." Then lay it all out: the good, the bad, the ugly. Cry it all out: the hard things, the hurting things, the things that are making you feel helpless. God is faithful to the promise to give you peace. ~ LTAF 10/01/2026
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