The Source of Peace

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."   John 14:27

If you are experiencing anxiety, usually that means there is an absence of peace. Peace means to bind together, to join, to weave together. It means that a person is bound, woven, and joined together with them self, with God, and with others.

The Hebrew word is shalom. It means freedom from trouble and much more. It means experiencing the highest good, possessing all the inner good possible. It means wholeness and soundness. There is the peace of the world which is a peace that is sought through pleasure, satisfaction, positive thinking, or denial of problems. That is what leads to anxious thoughts and feelings. There is also the peace of Christ. This includes several kinds:

1. Bosom peace—a peace deep within. It is a tranquility of mind, composure, a peace that is calm in the face of bad circumstances and situations.
2. A peace of conquest. It is the peace independent of conditions and environment; the peace which no sorrow, no danger, no experience can take away.
3. A peace of assurance—the peace of unquestionable confidence; the peace with a sure knowledge that one’s life is in the hands of God.
4. The peace of intimacy with God. It is the peace of the highest good. It is the peace that settles the mind, strengthens the will, and establishes the heart.

Ultimately, peace is always born out of reconciliation. Its source is found only in the reconciliation wrought by Jesus Christ. Peace always has to do with personal relationships: a person’s relationship to themselves, to God, and to the people around them. A person must be bound, woven, and joined together with themselves, with God, and with others to experience true peace and freedom from anxiety.

Study Questions:

• How would you define peace?
• Which kind of peace are you struggling with the most? Which one do you experience the most?
• What do you need to go before the Lord about and ask for peace over?
• Is there somebody in your life that you need to reconcile something with?