Freedom from disturbance; a state or period free of war or war has ended—this is the definition of ‘PEACE’ as per the Oxford Dictionary. While in a worldly sense, the definition may be apt, there is a difference when it comes to its biblical meaning. According to the Bible, the peace of God “transcends all understanding,”—a calmness that supersedes earthly circumstances.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ.
-Philippians 4:7
I don’t know about you but I got to taste this divine peace so tangibly in 2021. What a year! —a concoction of uncertainties, exhaustion, pain, unrest, joy, enlightenment and, most of all, the peace of God; a rollercoaster ride that we’d never forget, both for its good and sad bits. When I look back, I can boldly say that it was the peace of God that carried me through this season, and guarded my heart and mind; a peace that surpasses all understanding. From packing up all our stuff in the UK to shift to another country, to the sudden loss of my father, being stuck in transit in an unknown land for months, forcing us to live out of our suitcases and the constant uncertainty haunting us day after day—it felt like we were on storm-tossed seas. We did not know when we would get to reach our final destination, get into a normal routine and stop living out of our bags. If not for God and His peace, we would have been crushed, to say the least.
Peace I leave with you; 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
We, as a family, kept holding onto the Word of God, even through this turbulent phase. There were days when it was hard to trust His promises but God, in His grace, helped us to hold on and not be weary. I was still grieving the death of my father when all the other boulders of uncertainty, hopelessness and confusion rolled on me; there was a point I felt smothered by all the load that was on me. All the unknowns and all the lies of hopelessness that the enemy kept on screaming into my ears ruffled my wings a little. But the peace of God got me soaring right back up in the sky. He helped me rise above everything that tried to steal His divine peace within me.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
-John 16:33
The Lord never promised us a life devoid of struggles and pain. As a matter of fact, He has clearly stated in His Word that “there will be trouble in this world.” But He also provides hope—“Take heart,” He says; “For He has overcome the world!”. This means that all the trouble that we go through on a daily basis, Jesus already experienced it. And not just experienced it, but He has also overcome! What a relief to know that the One who conquered our trials is by our side wherever we go. The aforementioned verse from John 16 is a continuation of the part where the Lord gives His disciples a hint of his death and resurrection—a time of grief and how their grief will turn into rejoicing. And why did He tell them all these things— “so that in Him, they can have peace”. The verse is very clear about the source of this divine peace—it is in Jesus.
Did you know that the word peace is a big deal in the bible?
Experts and bible teachers have quoted in sermons that the word has been mentioned in the bible over 300 times; some even say it is over 400. There must be something about it that it is cited so many times. Surely, God has a profound reason behind the excessive repetition of this noun.
Before delving deep into the biblical facts about peace, it is important that we understand what it truly is.
It is a precious gift from God. It does not mean an absence of a storm instead it is a state of rest when we are right at the centre of a whirlwind. Oftentimes, we try to take control of a troublesome situation instead of asking God to help. It is mostly a result of panic and an involuntary, or sometimes deliberate, action of leaning on our own understanding. Trust me when I say, “It is the worst thing to do!”. I have done it and things have not been pretty. Now, you may ask—How do we get this gift of peace from God? As bizarre as it seems—it is only by making peace with God. And how do we do that? —accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, and have a deeper faith in Him. This is the starting point.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
-Romans 10:9
Probably, most of you might have done the former part of the statement—the salvation prayer—but the latter can get challenging when the waves of uncertainties come crashing in. Sometimes, we forget that Jesus is alive and He knows even the faintest groanings of our heart. The awareness that God knows us by name and that He is in control is FAITH.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
-Hebrews 11:1
Faith in God is so very important when it comes to defending ourselves from the attack of the enemy. This is probably the reason why the piece associated with Faith in the armour of God is a ‘shield’. Faith is also important when it comes to having peace with God.
Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Romans 5:1
When we do not let Jesus take the wheel, we may go astray in the path that leads us to God. Every time we take control, we are not only doubting God and His power but also acting against our faith.
I came across a piece of news the other day that surprised me. The app called ‘Calm’ was downloaded over 80 million times in 2019. This is not even during the pandemic; it was before that. This spoke volumes to me, in the sense that there is a real need and hunger in people to find peace. And especially with Covid creating isolation and panic, people are desperate. From yoga to breathing exercises, the internet is filled with hyped-up programmes and courses that ensure ultimate peace.
If only they knew the source of the peace that sustains, the peace that strengthens, the peace that surpasses all understanding—Jesus Christ. He came to earth to bring peace, both peace with God and the peace of God. His death on the cross was part of a peace treaty. A covenant that promised calm even during the storm.
You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
–Isaiah 26:3
The Hebrew word for ‘peace’ is Shalom. Interestingly, it is the same for ‘perfect’ as well. As per the above-mentioned verse, “He will keep us in Shalom Shalom”. There is a double emphasis here.
Peace=Shalom
Perfect= Shalom
Hence, Peace=Perfect
And who is called the Perfect One—Jesus, the Son of God.
The Word of God is crystal clear.
And what is the condition as per this verse?
“We need to trust Him!” For it is only then our minds are steadfast. And that is exactly what faith is.
The storms I faced in 2021 helped me truly explore who I really thought God to be. I knew that He is ‘the Provider’, ‘the Bread of Life’, ‘the Good Shepherd’, ‘the Peace that surpasses all understanding’ but all that changed to calling Him, ‘My Provider’, ‘My Bread of Life’, ‘My Shepheard’, My Peace’. He became a personal God to me. And during this journey through the valley, I learnt that He truly works all things for my good; that His thoughts of me are vast and full of love. My questions and doubts do not change who He is. But the understanding that He is my personal God changed who I am.
His love is so relentless that He never gave up holding onto my heart. And every morning He gave me new mercies. As my faith grew, I saw Him do new things in my life. He took hold of my life’s rudder and calmed the raging waves that came to tear me down. And through this season, I was am reminded every day that my God is the great storm-stiller.
Mark 4:35-41
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!”
Jesus did not say a long lengthy prayer. Just three words—Peace, be still. And surprisingly, the question He asked after is “Do you have no faith?”
My prayer for you this season is that, despite the year you had, remember that Jesus is in control. He calmed the storms before, He will calm your storm even now. Know that every stormy wind and raging waves obey Him—He has got your back so, Peace, be still!
Consider this:
Here are four Ps for you to keep in mind as you grow in faith and taste His peace:
Person: Without Jesus, we cannot have peace. The peace of God is found in the person of Jesus—it is through Him and Him alone that we receive this divine gift.
Purpose: Every storm that we go through is for a reason. Remember, He works all things for our good. Know that He has a plan and purpose for you—every storm, every wind, every wave.
Praise: Let your praises be deliberate. I know it can be hard to praise Him in the storm but that is what you need to do. Press on, endure.
Practise: Every good discipline takes practice so being in a state of peace when you are in the middle of the storm takes practise. Wherein, we learn to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus despite our stormy circumstances because, we have learned that those hard and unfair situations don’t have power to dictate our reactions and can’t steal our peace. Remember His Word has a solution for every pressure, storm and challenge we face—so spend time in His Word daily.