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"Peace, I leave with
you; my peace I give you.
I do not give
to you as the world gives.
Do not let
your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”
(John 14:27).
It doesn’t do much good to tell someone that becoming a
Christian will solve all of their problems and put them on the fast path to
health and prosperity. After all, they
will find out the truth soon enough—either by their own life experiences or in
the words of the Bible—that Jesus never promised an easy earthly path for His
followers. In fact, He warned us pretty
directly: “In this world you will have
trouble” (John 16:33). No room for illusions
there!
Jesus continues, though:
“But take heart! I have overcome
the world” (John 16:33).
I look at the swirl of daily circumstances in my life
and the lives of my friends: doctors’
appointments and medications; new schedules at the start of a new school year;
concerns about caring for a child, or a parent, or both simultaneously; looking
for work or heading into a new job; juggling complicated relationships. If we all just pray and read our Bible, it
will all work out. Right?
To expect the whirlwind to settle, the problems to resolve
themselves, and the pieces to fall into place just because I did my morning
devotions or said my nighttime prayers is to imagine that I can achieve peace
through something I, by my own efforts, have done. That’s the same as trying to "make peace happen" for myself. That’s the same as setting
myself up for failure.
And yet prayer and time spent reading God's Word are fundamental to my walk as a Christian, fundamental to bringing me peace, fundamental to bringing me back to the joy of my salvation. How does that work?
And yet prayer and time spent reading God's Word are fundamental to my walk as a Christian, fundamental to bringing me peace, fundamental to bringing me back to the joy of my salvation. How does that work?
When I focus on the BEING rather than the DOING, the act of
prayer and time spent in the scriptures can be life-changing by leading me back
to the center of my peace--by BEING in
God’s presence, BEING His child, BEING a part of the blessings promised to
those who are united in Christ.
BEING, not DOING.
Yoga practitioners are urged to strengthen their core. Those who meditate focus on their “center,”
which is themselves and that present moment.
For the Christian--for me--that core, that center, is Christ.
In Jesus Calling,
Sarah Young speaks of our inner calm as our peace in God’s Presence, which “need
not be shaken by what is going on around you.” Reading her words made me
visualize that swirl of daily schedules, chores, routines, and relationships I
mentioned earlier, and then visualize myself rooted in the center with God’
peace at my core. “Though you live in
this temporal world,” Young writes, “your innermost being is rooted and
grounded in eternity.” How do I remind
myself of that foundation? Spending time
in prayer and reading God’s Word, listening for His voice, watching for His
movement in my world all brings me back to eternity.
If I work to find peace in this world, I may end up looking
for a lo-o-ong time. But when I seek my
peace in God’s presence—a presence accessed through prayer and time in His
Word, fellowship with and service to His people, and worship of His Person—then
I am able to find what I am looking for.
“Come to me, all you
who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and
learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for
your souls”
(Matthew 11:28-29).
