What images and feelings come to mind when you think of the word ‘peace’? Maybe you imagine sitting by a calming stream, listening to the water tumbling over the rocks. Maybe you think of lying on a beach, enjoying the sun. As lovely as these things are, they don’t really come close to describing the peace that God can give us. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. It can also mean ‘wholeness’ and ‘completeness’. That tells us a lot about the nature of God-given peace. When we experience it, we’re complete, we’re made whole. It isn’t just a nice warm feeling. It isn’t the absence of problems; it’s the presence of God in the midst of our problems. We might make the mistake of looking to others to find peace. Or we might shut ourselves off from others, deciding that they’re the cause of a lot of our problems and we’d have a much more peaceful existence without them. But perfect peace can only come from a perfect peace-giver, and the only one who meets that qualification is God. Without God, it’ll always be a tantalising fish that’s just beyond our net. Peace isn’t something we suddenly discover; it finds us when we surrender our lives to the One who said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Notice the words ‘My Presence’? Only God’s presence can bring us peace. The assurance of God’s love, God’s help, and God’s presence is what takes the stress out of living, even when things are going wrong. When we choose to surrender our lives to Christ, we’ll ‘experience…peace…far more wonderful than the human mind can understand’ (Philippians 4:7 TLB).

What now?

Listen to ‘Surrender’ by Marc James. Use the time to re-surrender your life to God and ask Him for His peace.