Today’s 333 Devotional: “Attaining Peace So Longed For”
Since the beginning of time humanity has been desperately looking for peace. There’s been peace rallies, peace movements, peace marches, prizes awarded for peace, and wars have even been fought in the name of peace. People have even been arrested for disturbing the peace, which is interesting because how can you disturb what has never been?
People long, pray, fight and die for peace, but peace has yet to come. And that’s because people are looking for peace in all the wrong places. They’re looking for a physical peace, which will never come until Jesus returns.
Instead, the peace we should be looking for is having peace with God. The Lord will bring what no human, nation, technology, science, or religion could ever possibly bring, a perfect peace.
The prophet Isaiah said, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)
It’s only when we put our full trust and hope in Jesus Christ that we’ll find peace that surpasses all our understanding, which is because of our own limited mental and emotional capacities.
The Apostle Paul tells us not to be anxious at what life throws our direction, but rather we’re to give it to prayer, that is, to focus our time with God rather than on whatever problem we’re facing, and then God’s peace will be ours.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
And so, the peace people are searching for is the peace that only a relationship with Jesus Christ can provide.
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)