Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27 (NKJV))
The Source of Peace
Where can you find peace? The source is God. As Isaiah said, “You [referring to God] will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)). And like we saw in the verse above, Jesus told His disciples that He would give them peace (John 14:27). So, peace comes from God.
But how exactly do you get it?
Go to the Source
If you want peace, you need to go to God. He is the source of peace. You won’t find that peace in the world because the peace from God is a “perfect peace” (Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)) that “surpasses all understanding “(Philippians 4:7 (NKJV)).
How do you go to God for peace? Philippians 4:6–8 (NKJV) gives us the answer. It tells us,
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.
Based on these verses in Philippians, here are three steps you can take to get peace:
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Pray
Talk to God and tell Him what’s on your mind. Ask Him for help with whatever situation you’re going through or for wisdom about a decision you need to make. And ask for his peace to quiet your mind.
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Thank God
Come to God with a heart of gratitude. Thank God for who He is and all He has done for you. Be specific. For example, you could thank Him for
- saving you,
- forgiving all your sins,
- His ability to help you – no matter how big your problem is,
- His promise to always be with you,
- walking with you through your trial,
- the ways He has provided for you in the past, and
- anything else you can think of.
Being thankful to God will prepare your heart for the third step.
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Meditate
Focus your mind on God. Don’t try to stop thinking about what’s making you anxious. Instead, replace those thoughts by thinking about things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. God’s character and nature and the ways He has blessed you fall into these categories.
Meditate on how God has been faithful to you – on all the things you thanked Him for. Learn about God’s nature by reading His Word, the Bible. To name just a few, God is good, holy, powerful, and loving. Training your mind to think about God’s character and faithfulness will build up your trust in God.
As we saw in Isaiah, the person whose mind is “stayed” on God will be in “perfect peace.” Why? Because that person trusts in our awesome, amazing God.
While your mind is fixed on God, that peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind. So, follow these three steps: pray, thank God, and meditate on your beautiful Savior. Then, you’ll have peace as you walk by faith with Him.
Sweet reminder on the three steps: Pray, gratitude, meditation on His Word.
Thank you for the breath of life.
Thank you for the cognition to type and make complete sentences.
Building our trust and growing our faith is a daily spiritual work.
Thank you Cathy for the spiritual workout.