Articles
Worried? No, At Peace
Brethren, we can be at peace during this uncertain time.
These days, you may be hearing thoughts and questions like these:
“Aren’t you worried about everything that is going on?”
“Don’t you think this is horrible? I just dread what I hear every day. It just seems to be getting worse and worse.”
“How can you be so content?”
But we should not feel lost or perplexed, nor powerless or alone. Our emotions should center on joy and peace.
One major factor in our emotional state, as Christians, is our peace.
In John 14, Jesus told the apostles about the peace of being one of His followers. Jesus left the apostles His peace, verses 26-27. He was going away, but would send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to them. Later, He told them that their joy and peace (that they would have because of seeing Jesus after His resurrection) would never be taken from them. John 16:20-22, 33.
As Christians, one of our great spiritual blessings is the peace we are given through the gospel. We know that our peace is from God, and that it passes all understanding, Phil. 4:6-7. Unbelievers just can’t understand how we can be at peace during this, and all other trials. While they clearly see it in our lives, our contentedness is very difficult for others to “make sense of.”
Our peace does not depend on outside circumstances – especially not on those things which we have had to “do without,” the non-essential things. Our lives, no matter how the world may change around us, show peace. And our peace is “for life.” We may get frustrated or angry, we may be deeply hurt or saddened, but we stay consistent with our beliefs, practices, and our rock-solid faith. We meet each day with the grace and knowledge of God and that He has given us all the enduringly good things we enjoy in this life. We know that He listens to our prayers, and answers them with what is best for us. In fact, we can be content with having only the simple physical things that we really need – food, clothing, and shelter (See Phil. 4:11-13, 1 Tim. 6:6-8, Proverbs 30:8-9).
We have peace with God. Rom. 5:1-2.
We have peace with one another. Eph. 2:14-18.
And we have peace within ourselves. Matthew 6:25-34.
As God has granted this peace to you, let it show in your life: in relationships with others, in your prayers, and in your self-talk (inner thoughts and feelings).
I am very pleased with how we are dealing with these uncertain times. We are staying strong and continuing to show forth our good works to the community and the world around us. We are supporting each other, and bearing one another’s burdens. And we are the lights to the world that Jesus told us to be. We are showing God’s peace to a world in turmoil. Keep shining, Brethren.
“Grace to you, and peace be multiplied.” 1 Peter 1:2.
