The Fruitful Life: Peace

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22–23

Peace is a much desired commodity in this world. We pray for peace. We try to negotiate peace. We pursue peace. We desire inner peace, peace in our relationships, peace with other nations, and peace with God. When we lack peace, we are anxious, distressed, fretful, and worried. The unrest in our world today makes us feel out of control and leads to unrest within.

The Webster Dictionary defines peace as a state of stillness and serenity, of freedom from disquieting, agitating, anxious thoughts and a condition of harmony in relationships. According to this definition, peace is found when the challenges in life are resolved, when we get our thought life under control and are free of anxious thoughts, and when our conflicted relationships are harmonious. 

In contrast, peace as defined in the scriptures is an inner repose and quietness even in the midst of adverse circumstances. Biblical peace is a characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, dwelling in every believer, brings peace to our hearts and minds regardless of the situations we encounter in our lives. Peace is a gift from God. When life as we know it implodes, when disappointment and discouragement rise on the horizons of our days, we can have God-given tranquility, rest, wholeness, harmony, security, well-being, serenity, and utter calm in the midst of adversity. We have the peace of God.

Our nation and our world are encountering disquieting circumstances beyond measure. Is it possible to find peace in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, daily stock market volatility, travel bans, closed borders, social distancing guidelines, self-quarantines, mandated isolation, community lockdowns, layoffs, and closed schools and businesses? As I reflect on the uncertain times we are in, I am reminded of other people of faith who found themselves in the midst of potentially overwhelming circumstances. 

In 2 Chronicles chapter 20, King Jehoshaphat was alarmed at the great army that was coming against him and God’s people. He was afraid. He could have wasted precious time formulating his own battle strategies. He could have fretted over the gravity of the situation. Instead, his immediate response was to inquire of the Lord. He “set his face to seek the Lord” (v. 3). In the midst of the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, King Jehoshaphat turned to his faithful, all-powerful God. He remembered all that His Lord had taught Him and proclaimed boldly: “. . . in Your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand You” (v. 6).  This is the God King Jehoshaphat turned to in his time of uncertainty and extreme tribulation. He recounted God’s faithfulness to deliver His people throughout history. He remembered all that God had done for His people in the past and trusted Him for the day and the future. King Jehoshaphat concluded his prayer with a petition of complete dependence on His Lord: “For we are powerless against this great army that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You” (v. 12). 

That is biblical peace. 

What is the Lord’s response to King Jehoshaphat? He said, “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you” (v. 17). Just as the Lord met King Jehoshaphat and His people in their time of need, so He meets us in our hour of need. Alexander Maclaren, a British minister in the 1800s, captured this reality as he shared with his flock this important truth: “Peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of Christ.”

We cannot find peace in this world—in anyone or anything. Jesus gives us a peace that the world cannot know. In John 14:27, Jesus affirmed this truth as He spoke to His disciples: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Jesus also warns His followers that one of the greatest obstacles to peace is the battle within. Various translations of Psalm 94:19 speak of our anxious hearts: 

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” (NIV)

“When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” (ESV)

“When I was burdened with worries, you comforted me and made me feel secure.” (Contemporary English Version)

“When anxiety overwhelms me, Your consolation delights my soul.” (Berean Study Bible)

Just as Jesus responded to the fearful disciples in the storm-tossed boat—rebuking the wind and saying to the sea in John 4:39, “Peace! Be still!”—so He quiets the storm within us. He brings great calm to us. Before ascending to His Heavenly Father after His resurrection, Jesus calmed His disciples once again, saying, “I have told you these things so that in Me you might have peace” (John 16:33). 

In Philippians 4:6–7, Paul instructs us to do something that might not always come naturally to us. He says this: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” But he doesn’t just leave us with that instruction. He ends with a promise: “And the peace of God which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” What comfort that gives! 

A friend of mine once shared that she was raised to worry and worry if she did not worry. What peace of mind and comfort she found as she took the concerns weighing on her heart to the Lord in prayer! As she expressed her neediness to the Lord, thanking Him for His faithfulness to hear her prayers and intervene for her good and His glory, she rejoiced in the peace that He worked in her—a peace that was beyond her understanding and a peace that kept her heart and mind focused on Christ Jesus.

It is this biblical peace that enabled Horatio Spafford to pen the Christian hymn It is Well With My Soul following the tragic death of his four daughters during a transatlantic voyage. As Spafford sailed by the very site of his daughters’ deaths on his way to England to join his wife, these lyrics flowed forth:

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll; 
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

This peace, found only in Jesus, is a holy hush that permeates our being to the very depths of our soul.

Years ago, I was gifted with a bookmark that remains in the pages of my Bible to this day. It is inscribed with the words Jesus is enough. Biblical peace is anchored in the Person of Jesus Christ. Peace is a Person—Jesus, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Our Savior reconciled us to our Heavenly Father, and through Him we have peace with God and abiding peace. The following simple phrases capture this scriptural truth: Know Jesus, know peace. No Jesus, no peace.

Biblical peace is total surrender to the Lord and complete trust in His promises. He is the true Promise Keeper. It is knowing and trusting that God has everything under control in the midst of chaos and confusion. As we abide in the Lord and rely on Him, we can rejoice with the Psalmist in Psalm 112:7: “(The righteous one) is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.” God is faithful and completely trustworthy. We, as His children, are safely in His care. Peace is recognizing that we are not in control and that all situations and our very lives are in His hands. Even though the world around us may be spiraling out of control and we no longer have a “normal” routine, we are Peace-full!

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16