Peace and Calm 

September 4, 2021

“With His love, He will calm all your fears”  Zephaniah 3:17 

Given a choice, most of us want a calm and peaceful life. As believers, we think that Jesus died not only to save our souls, but to grant us asylum from the world and its frantic, challenging existence. A sort of pre-heaven perfection. 

For sailors who use sails rather than engines, a calm and peaceful sea is the worst possible condition. The craft cannot navigate, cannot move, cannot be directed to their goal. A boat on a glassy sea is a boat adrift. God has no intention for us to be adrift in this world. He has placed us in the powerful seas of life and has promised to be our rudder. 

The calm and peace that God does promise is from the inside, from the Holy Spirit. His calm is the perfect calm because it exists in spite of the tumult of the world. In the midst of the “perfect storm” God promises an eternal peace. 

Philippians 4:6-7   “Don’t worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus.” (J.B. Phillips )

1 Peter 1:2  “Dear friends, God the Father chose you long ago and knew you would become His children. And the Holy Spirit has been at work in your hearts, cleansing them with the blood of Jesus Christ and making you anxious to please Him. May God bless you richly and grant you increasing freedom from all anxiety and fear.”  (TLB )

John 14:27  “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (NLT)

God’s peace is tied to our faith, it comes from within. As we walk in faith, believing that God never leaves us alone, our sense of peace is strengthened and built up. The peace of God is a gift, just as Jesus promised. We didn’t earn it and it cannot be taken away…unless we refuse to accept it! There are times when the peace of God is stillness. 

Psalm 46:10  “Be still and know that I am God!” (NIV)

God’s peace always inhabits our praise. Praising God will generate a sense of peace and wellness as nothing else can. 

The man prayed and prayed, asking God for peace. Finally he heard the Lord say, “I’ve already given you my peace, now you must get up and do something to experience it.” 

Rom. 8:6  “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” (NIV)                 

Gal. 5:22-23 “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (NIV)

Isa. 26:3-4  “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock. “ (NLT)

Phil. 4:11-13 “For I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” (NLT)

George was transferred to the job of his dreams after years of hard work and constant prayer. It seemed as though God had granted him his desire. A huge raise in pay, better benefits, pension, and a percentage of profits. He was happy and content. He beamed. Until that fateful company meeting where he was told, by the assistant vice president (the president and vice president had skipped town) the company was bankrupt! They were insolvent. Mismanagement and fraud had destroyed a great company and thrown George, along with hundreds of other employees, into the unemployment lines.  

As a believer, George has an opportunity to walk in God’s peace, the peace that passes all understanding. He can realize, as the apostle Paul did, that contentment is not based on money or position or anything in the world.  

Psalm 4:8  “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”