Keeping the peace in my family is challenging with three kids all excited about Christmas and what Santa will leave under the tree. Even my 14 year old still believes in Santa, although I think she’s hedging her bets because Santa brings things off her wish list when Mom and Dad say, “Absolutely not!”
Keeping the peace with family members over the holidays can take divine intervention depending on our family dynamics. A dead end to seeking out persistent peace comes from seeking out things of this world we believe will give us peace, but only for a short time, if at all.
But, we can have persistent peace from God.
This is a peace which comes from a prince. The Prince of Peace actually. Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” This verse is rather timely with Jesus’ birthday right around the corner.
Jesus is the author of peace. He designed us to live in peace with Him. Now, this doesn’t mean there will be peace on earth. Sorry, to burst your bubble if you are the beauty queen contestant and your answer of what you want to accomplish during your reign is world peace. It isn’t going to happen until the second coming of Christ, but that’s a different blog post.
This is a peace we receive by walking close to God, close to His will for our lives. There is no safer place than to be within the will of God for our lives. If you have a question about what God’s will for your life is, check out this past post. In John 14:27 (NIV) it says, “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.”
If there are things in our lives causing us to feel troubled and afraid, we need to lay those down at the foot of the cross. I will admit, I’m not a shining example of this. I’ll lay my trials at the gracious feet of Jesus, only to pick them up again because I don’t trust God to take care of it or I don’t see things moving in a timely manner. I figure God might need some help or advice with my request, right? Wrong! Oh, so very, very wrong on my part.
It’s with trust that I feel His persistent peace. Yes, the trial may be of my own making, but God in His grace, still offers me peace as I go through it, if I’m willing to accept it. No helping, no suggestions, only trust.
Trusting God has heard my pleas for help, for justice, or for validation. He hears it all and I believe, the moment I make the request known to Him, He begins to work. Don’t take my word for it take it as the Word says, 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV), “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
I wonder if I hinder my answers and my peace when I start to meddle in the affairs of God? I don’t know about my answers, but oh, how I lose my peace when I’m not walking in step with my Savior. To obtain a persistent peace, it’s about surrendering, sometimes over and over again, to the will of God. I know when I do, there will be peace in abundance for my life.
How do you get persistent peace? Share it in the comments below to encourage others.