When You Need to Know the God of Peace is with You
Somewhere right now across the world a woman is hiding in her home and praying she will be invisible and safe. She fears going out in public. Her thimble size portion of temporary freedom slipped away in the blink of an eye, and her life will never be the same again. If she knows the God of Peace, I pray she feels His presence.
I think we’ve all been carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders this week. The heartbreak is heavy. Our weary hearts just can’t take it. We lack the right words to even voice how we feel.
My heart grieves for this woman. The pain this innocent victim is experiencing makes all the suffering I am walking through seem almost trivial. I get to wear whatever I want and go to T.J Maxx and Paneras as therapy for my pain. She gets to live like a caged animal.
God did not create us for this. He never wanted us to have to hide.
Yet, I hide all the time. I close off my heart and hope no one will notice. I confess I’ve developed a little bit of cynicism when God doesn’t immediately intervene to turn around a terrible situation. My heavy heart starts to develop a hard outer shell to protect myself from what seems unfathomable.
Sometimes we like to blame God for the things we don’t like about our world. We fault Him for our best friend’s cancer diagnosis and our teenager’s addiction problem. God could have turned our marriage around and helped us land that job we so desperately needed. We ask “Why God?” and shake our fists when things don’t go our way.
Then we hunker down and try to become invisible. We hide from conflict. We cover our sin and doubt and pray no one notices. We tell each other “I’m fine” when in reality we are running away from God because we’re kind of mad at Him.
Hiding pushes down our pain, but will never bring us peace.
I can turn off the news and stop taking phone calls from the people I don’t like, but that won’t solve my problem. I won’t find true lasting peace by binge watching Netflix until I feel better. Our sin-saturated world seeps in to wherever I am escaping and reminds me of the ugly stuff that makes no sense.
My peace does not equal an absence of problems. If my peace is tied to my circumstances, I will always end up hopelessly frustrated.
A couple of weeks ago, I was reading my Bible when I tripped across a phrase in Romans that grabbed my attention:
The God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Romans 15:33, NIV
This simple one-sentence prayer reminded me of two things I easily forget when I am hurting:
- God is a God of peace.
- God is with me.
I started hunting in my Bible for every time the phrase “God of Peace” is used — because I could really use God’s peace right now. I am desperately trying to remember that my circumstances are subject to change, but God forever remains the firm foundation under my feet. My God can give me His peace even when life makes no sense.
What I discovered about the God of Peace truly encouraged my weary heart. I pray that these 3 unchanging truths will fill you with an unshakeable confidence that your God is near, and He cares for you. The God of Peace stands with you today — no matter where you are hiding.
3 Ways the God of Peace is with you today:
The God of Peace has embraced you and set you apart as wholly His.
Your Heavenly Father has a purpose and plan for your life. As you spend time with Jesus, His Spirit is at work in your life to make you more and more whole. Your reflection grows progressively more like your Savior every day. Friend, you have come a long way with God, and He is still quietly at work in your life transforming you from the inside out. No matter what chaotic circumstances may surround you today, the God of Peace can accomplish a beautiful work within you if you surrender all to Him.
- “Now may the God of Peace Himself make you completely holy and may your spirit and soul and body be kept entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Thessalonians 5:23, NET)
The God of Peace empowers you to fulfill your destiny.
God has a job for you to accomplish, and He has promised to give you the strength and ability to successfully complete every task. The work may seem overwhelming, but you can trust your Maker is at work to provide everything you need to do your work. You may feel like you are failing miserably where the Lord has placed you, but the God of Peace sees your obedience and has comitted to fully equip you.
- “Now may the God of Peace Who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21, ESV)
The God of Peace will eradicate the enemy and triumph over all evil.
While we are here on earth, we will experience temporary conflict. But we can arm ourselves with the hope of the resurrection to stay standing. The victory to secure our eternal peace was already won at the cross. In the end, the God of Peace will prevail, and we will celebrate at the feet of our conquering King.
- “The God of Peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (Romans 16:20, ESV)
Are you finding it hard to remember the God of Peace is with you right now? I’ve created a one-page printable with 10 Scriptures to help you plug into God’s peace. Grab a copy and spend the next 10 days focusing on how your God is you shalom. Every morning, you can sit at His feet and strengthen your walk as you remind yourself the God of Peace cares for you. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.
Peace is God’s gift to you and me. Our tranquility is not found in a pain free life, but because we have the abiding presence of God in our lives. Even when chaos fills the world around us, the God of Peace can flood our hearts with an inner calm and joy. He holds our future in His mighty hands. We can lay every concern at His feet and trust He will safeguard our lives. The more we draw near to God, the more we will experience His unexplainable peace.
Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:11, NIV
While this world rages with confusion and doubt, the quietness of spirit we experience as believers sets us apart. God has placed us here as His peacemakers to help the lost and broken find salvation. God pours His peace into our lives so that His love can overflow out of our hearts and point our friends and family to true hope.
Feeling anxious? Quiet your heart today. God is near and whispering “Peace be still” over whatever storm surrounds you.
Never forget the God of Peace is with you without fail.
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What a rich study! I had not caught the recurrence of that phrase or noted how often and in what context it appeared. No matter our circumstances, the God of peace is with us, enabling us.
Friend, I’m so glad these Scriptures encouraged you, too. God keeps bringing these verses back to my mind as I wrestle with the events of this week. I am so thankful for the comfort of HIs Word.
Peace is NOT an absence of problems!
The biblical record certainly bears this out, and yet I still trip over this truth.
It’s comforting to know that His peace is accessible at all times. I just need to quiet my heart and abide in His presence instead of keeping my eyes on circumstances.