We, in general, deal with a lot of inner chaos. We experience anger, anxiety, sadness, jealousy, and even more emotions for which there aren’t words. We’re usually trying to assuage those with our own solutions. However, no matter the method, the bottom line of that entire fight is this: we are trying to find peace in this chaos.
I’ve been there. Where I’m doing anything I can to find some sort of calm, whether that be cleaning or listening to my favorite music. I find my own “Katie-made” peace there (you can insert your own name in front of “-made,” but I’ll call it “manufactured” peace from this point). Manufactured peace does the job for just a moment, but that chaos tends to stir right back up once that moment is over.
The good news is that there is a peace that transcends our own, because that peace comes from the Lord. Today, I want to encourage us to seek the Lord’s peace instead of our own by doing a little comparing and contrasting. Let’s open up to Mark, Philippians and Proverbs.
The first standout between manufactured peace and God-given peace is the overall stability. The reason for that is that manufactured peace depends on the circumstance, whereas God-given peace depends on its source. Not only is God called the “God of peace” several times throughout the Bible, but it’s shown to us in the Gospels. In Mark 4:38 NLT, we’re told, “But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?'” Now, at the end of this particular story, Jesus calms the waves by saying “Silence! Be still!” But, during that storm? Jesus was asleep. The way that He stops the storm tells us two things: one, that the Lord has the power to calm any storm we’re in, and two, He is the rushing peace that calms it.
Manufactured peace is also confined to our own understanding, whereas God’s peace isn’t confined at all. In fact, God’s peace is so free and so powerful that it can confuse us (I know from experience here!). Philippians 4:6-7 NLT (a very well-known pair of verses) says “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” This not only encourages us in prayer, but also promises us that our prayers work in a way that allows us to experience the peace of knowing that God is going to answer us even when we don’t know how. It allows us to say “God, I don’t see a way through,” and for God to tell us, “You don’t need to, because you can have faith in the fact that I will make a way through.”
Since God’s peace is so stable and transcending, it also allows our minds and bodies to heal in a way that manufactured peace does not. Proverbs 14:30 NLT tells us that “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” I’m going to use myself as an example here—my inner chaos is usually about ninety-seven percent worry. When that storm is raging within my mind, I can physically tell a difference in the way my skin feels and in the way I eat. It’s upsetting to think about, but it’s the reality of what can happen when we rely on ourselves for peace instead of the Lord. I feel better now because I have the peace that God has freely given me.
An aside here, but God’s peace also propels us to action, while manufactured peace ignores the source of the chaos. For example, say that I got into an argument with my sister. Having a spa day may take my mind off of it for a moment, but once I leave that spa, the inner chaos of what was said and how will kick right back up. Now, if I bring it to God, I can have peace in the fact that He will tell me what I need to say to my sister and give me the courage to do so.
In fact, I would go as far as to say that manufactured peace isn’t really peace at all—it’s a sense of peace that will flee in a moment. But, my friends, we know the very source of peace Himself! So, in the midst of all this emotional chaos, let’s step into the Lord’s calm. No chaos can stand against it.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Katie Pennington is a writer and editor who is originally from Hazard, Kentucky, but currently resides with her family in central Tennessee (though she frequently visits her Appalachian roots). Her favorite Bible verse is Psalm 42:5, which reminds her that in despair, there’s hope in God, and there’s healing in praising Him.