Holy Week: Thursday, The Peace of God

On the previous days of this Holy Week we have studied the Judgment of God, the Power of God and the Love of God. Today we study the Peace of God. It is difficult to see peace when we see the suffering and death of Christ on the cross but this is what had to happen for God's people to have peace in their hearts and minds.

Peace is defined in Scripture as "a state of reconciliation with God and inner rest and harmony". We are told in Romans 8:7 that the mind that is set on flesh is an enemy of God. Therefore, the non-believer does not have any inner peace and rest. Their peace is directly related to the outward circumstances in their life.

The first truth about peace is that its origin is in Christ alone. In John 14:27 Jesus tells us that He will give His peace to us and it is different from the peace the world has to offer. The only people who have this reconciliation with God and inner rest are those who trust in Christ alone for their salvation.

The second truth concerning peace is in Philippians 4:7 where we are told that this peace "surpasses all understanding." Believers have gone through very difficult and trying times yet have experienced in their heart and mind a strong peace. It is beyond our understanding that when we experience God's peace. We accept and are thankful for that peace.

The third truth which peace has is to guard our heart and mind. Guard means to protect. The heart is the inner being of the individual. Such a guarding helps us to keep focused on the Lord as opposed to be emotionally consumed with the troubles of the day. It also guards the mind. In this context the mind would be the content of the mind. Those troubles which consume our thinking as we try to figure out, "how in the world am I going to solve this situation?" The manner in which the Lord affords such protection for us is found in the following passage of Scripture.

We read in Proverbs 3:5-6 that we are to "trust in the Lord with all our hearts and not lean on our own understanding." Each time we become anxious and worried about life and the circumstances we are facing we must immediately turn to the Lord for His wisdom and to follow His leading. We are assured that our loving heavenly Father and sovereign God is working in the situation we are in. Our worries and anxieties are replaced with the Peace from Christ. This is exactly what the Psalmist meant in Psalm 23:1, "The LORD is my shepherd I shall not want."

As believers truly trust in the Lord then we will always experience the peace that truly surpasses all understanding.