Understanding Peace: More Than a Word or Feeling

Peace. Some of you clicked into this article just for that word.

Maybe your life feels chaotic and out of your control. Maybe you’re following God’s leadership, yet everything is falling apart. No matter how hard you work, no amount of effort gives you the peace you desire: peaceful circumstances, peaceful relationships, or a peaceful soul.

I hear you! Most of my life, currently, feels like search for inner-peace.

God in His grace has given me an easily triggered nervous system. Demands coming at me from different directions along with their accompanying noise and chaos make my mind and body feel like they are literally buzzing. And if I’m not careful, life becomes about finding ways to calm the inner-buzzing of my nervous system.

Now, wanting a solid, calm interior is not a bad desire. Wanting your circumstances to hold together is reasonable! The danger comes when we make a certain feeling or situation our goal.

We typically understand “peace” to mean a quiet interior and calm exterior circumstances. But, have you been misunderstanding peace?

“We find that He (Jesus) gives lasting peace that He not only secures but sustains. Jesus told us that it would be unlike anything else disguised as peace from any other source: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid’ (John 14:27, ESV).” (pp. 197-98) – Ruth Chou Simons, Gracelaced Devotional

The peace Jesus gives is completely different than the peace which the World offers.

Whole industries promise to give you a “state of tranquility,” “freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions,” and “harmony in personal relations.” Everywhere you look, there are offers of ease: read this book, buy this item, use this essential oil, adopt this meditation plan.

The peace Jesus gives can co-exist with an on-fire nervous system dialed-up to 10. It continues on when conflict consumes our closest relationships and is not destroyed by our anxieties and worries. His peace does not depend on your mind-body regulation skills or scripture based calming techniques.

Jesus gives us peace coupled with the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 14: 26). We are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13b-14, ESV). Our final inheritance is blissful fellowship with God, from which an experience of tranquility, quiet, emotional freedom, and harmony will flow.

But today, your relationship with God does not change no matter how much or how long your nervous system buzzes. Your standing before God does not shift when you are trauma-triggered. God does not love you less on days you parent poorly or fail at your job. We are not less because we do not feel internally “peaceful.”

The peace we have walks with us through the joys and agonies of life. He holds our hand when we feel like we’re drowning. He gives us supernatural grace when we just cannot anymore. He breathes God’s truth in our ear when we need hope. Our peace is ever-present and never leaving. He will never leave or forsake you!

Ruth Chu Simons, again, reminds us,

“What assurance we can have in knowing that we’re not responsible to keep ourselves at peace through just the right combination of skill and strategy” (Gracelaced, p. 198).

“Skill and strategy” – How much time have you spent absorbing the wisdom of the internet, looking for ways to conquer pain or inner turmoil?

We can so easily look to diet, exercise, nutrition, supplements, counseling, or even devotional plans to be THE answer and our primary source of life. (Now, I am not saying those things aren’t important – we are called to care for our bodies wisely.)

Yet, the goal of life cannot be the internal feeling of peace.  Look to Jesus to be the peace you desperately need, when the peace you want is out of reach. Cling to Him even when He feels far away and your body can’t feel anything but pain or buzzing.

Even with the easily triggered nervous system, the chronic pain, the physical and emotional trauma, the hard parenting days, and the unreasonable job environment, we can still have God’s peace because Jesus has overcome. In fact, His overcoming is so great that all of these difficulties in our lives (and any others you can think of) become grace to us.

What if your lack of “inner-peace” is a gift?

When my nervous system is on fire, this is a sign to my soul that I need Jesus. When you find yourself emotionally charged by a circumstance, recognize these are thirst indicators the Spirit uses to draw you back to God.

His love uses our weaknesses to show us Himself!

We have a unique peace because of Jesus. It may not look or feel like what we imagine peace to be, or what our culture conditions us to think it is.

Jesus’s peace comes in the midst of trials and great suffering. He does not change the circumstances or heal all the wounds before He relieves us. Instead, He offers Himself.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, ESV).