Returning to Peace

“Can you hear that?” I asked my husband as we stood outside in the dead of winter.

“Hear what?” he asked me.

“Shhh … I want to remember this moment forever,” I replied, taking in a deep breath to let the chill of winter fill my nose and lungs.

The truth is, there was nothing to be heard — nothing but the beautiful sound of silence and peace hanging in the air. But I wondered if my husband noticed it like I had. I wondered if the stillness struck him the way it had awed me.

Many people are awed by grand events, bold actions, and flashy sights and sounds. I however, am awed by peace and complete stillness.

The beauty of following Jesus is that we can experience this stillness even when the world is bubbling with chaos. We don’t have to be standing outside in silence on a cold winter night to feel His peace, because He is our peace.

I haven’t always known what it’s like to experience the peace of Christ in my life. In high school and college I always had to be doing something. I filled every minute of every day with activity to avoid feeling anxious or bored, flitting from one thing to the next without pausing much in-between. If you’re thinking, “gee that sounds exhausting,” you’re right — It was. My life was practically void of peace.

I believed in Jesus during this time but my faith was not very strong, and because of this I wasn’t devoted to cultivating a better relationship with Him. I heard other people talk about how Jesus was the “Prince of Peace,” but I couldn’t fathom experiencing peace or stillness without the presence of boredom or anxiety. When life felt out of control everything felt out of control, and I didn’t know how to find peace amid chaos.

Then I met the real Jesus. I can’t explain to you how it all happened, but somewhere along the way I had a real encounter with the Prince of Peace himself. On one of my darkest days, He just walked into my life and He’s never left since. And for that, I am forever grateful.

Christ came to give us peace in a world of chaos (John 14:27). He is the Savior who speaks peace to storms and calms them to a whisper. And because He lives inside of us, we can release peace into whatever circumstance comes our way in His name.

You were born to shift the atmosphere and bring light and peace into a dark and chaotic world.

As we wrap up today’s devotional, I would love for you to explore this topic with us more by joining us for our new podcast series on Peace. You can listen on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify and I think it will really bless you as we all work toward cultivating a life of true peace.