"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
In the Theology class I take through Samford we most often gather
together online. But once or twice a month our instructor affords us the
opportunity to meet in person. We meet at the Alabama Baptist Association
building here in Montgomery. When there I love to grab myself a copy of the
Alabama Baptist to read during breaks. I usually skim the articles and head
straight to the Wordsearch. I am a word search junkie. The words are biblical
and related to the articles in the issue. Recently, I was almost done with it,
but I simply could not find the last word. Peace. After a lengthy struggle, I
found it. Satisfied, I put the newspaper away in my backpack and went on with
my night.
But I quickly returned to the search. The hardest thing to find was
peace. This was so true in my life as well. The hardest thing in all our lives
is to find peace.
Studies show that one of the top issues today is mental health and
happiness. We are more connected than ever before with each other, but each
successive generation is lonelier than the last. The world tells us we will be
happy if we buy the latest gadget, car or clothes. Or if we constantly travel.
If we go online we can "find" happiness and peace through alleged
connections with strangers in social media or images of a naked girl to
temporarily please us. But, the joy, happiness, and peace quickly leave us. So
we go and look for something else to help- drugs, alcohol, or sex. But still we
are miserable. Nothing fills us up and gives us permanent peace.
Why?
Pastor Chris Hodges of The Church of the Highlands often says it is
because we have a "God-sized hole in our hearts and souls" when we
are not connected to God. In Phillipians 4:7, Paul writes that a connection to
God, to have a relationship with God, gives us "a peace that supasses all
understanding."
In a world filled with chaos and uncertainty, finding peace can seem
like an elusive pursuit. But one thing to keep in mind- peace is not the
absence of conflict or turmoil. Peace is a deep sense of calm and contentment
that can only be found in our relationship with God. We must put not just our
faith in God, but our complete trust as well. And when you trust in Him, that
means casting your fears and worries on Him. This is a complete act of
surrender. “Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.” – Isaiah 26:4
Trusting in Him can help bring you peace through uncertainty. You cannot
solve all the problems in your life. You must cast your worries on him and
trust Him to carry you through. Our Southern ancestors looked to the Lord for
help during the invasion and occupation of reconstruction. They went to Church
and let God handle all that was ahead of them. We must do the same.
If you feel you have wandered away from God too much for Him to care
about you, then go and read Psalm 51. King David had sinned horribly. He went
to the Lord with a repentant and contrite heart, asking God to blot out his
transgressions and give Him peace. After everything David had done, he went to
the Lord and was forgiven. David rededicated himself to a God- driven life and
found more peace in his later years.
This could be an example for all of us. Let us go to the Lord with a
repentant heart and ask for forgiveness. Let us then seek to live our lives
with a dedication to casting our worries and fears to Him and find peace in our
lives moving forward.
Amen.
