When Will The Peace Come?

A friend of mine recently posted a heartfelt/heart wrenching question on Facebook that began with "At what point does the peace come?..." Her question really got me thinking. At what point does the peace come? The simplest answer to that question is this: When we allow it.

I know as well as anyone how it feels to be restless and uneasy; to be anxious and beaten down by life's seemingly inescapable stresses. We allow ourselves to buy into the lies that we can't be happy right now; that we have to achieve something or reach a certain point to attain the happiness that we desire. But the simple fact of the matter is that that is just not true. We have all the peace and happiness that we need right at the tips of our fingers. Isn't Christ the Prince of Peace? (Isaiah 9:6) All that we have to do is reach out to Him for comfort. For peace.

The catch is this: God knows what's best for us right now and always. Right? Right. So when we go to Him for comfort, instead of saying, "God, I'm miserable. I can't find peace, and I need it. I need you to give it to me, and this is what I need you to do to bring me peace," we need to say, "God, I have nowhere else to turn but to turn to you. I need peace, and I know that only you can give me true peace. Please calm my restless heart, and put my soul at peace with whatever your plan is for me. I know that you know best."

Did you notice the difference? Instead of begging and pleading with God to give us what we want because we just know that one thing or those many things will bring us the happiness that our hearts crave, we have to come to God with open hearts, willing to receive His peace along with His plan.

We all say that we trust God, but how many of us truly mean what we say? It's taken me a long time to allow my plans to melt away, making room for God's plans to shine through (and I still struggle with that immensely from time to time), but once I did, it was like a mountain was lifted off of my shoulders and I was no longer carrying the burden of my desires.

God loves us. Let Him show us His love through His plans. Then we will know peace.

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
-Philippians 4:7

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