Whether in a relationship, in a job, or in life, true peace is often elusive.  We chase it, we pray for it, we yearn for it, and at times we glimpse it, yet largely peace escapes us.

Why is that? 

That’s the question that sent me searching, inside and out.  Eventually, I wound up in the garden with Jesus when He knew He was about to be betrayed and arrested, yet He still treated the Disciples with dignity and grace.  He held His peace.  He prayed for God’s will, not His own, to be done.

That had to be the key, didn’t it?  His willingness to surrender to God’s will even though He knew the challenges and the costs.

That seemed likely to me.  Logical, plausible, and wise.  It respected obedience and honor and showed His heart.  The reward for that was grace.  And in grace, He found peace.

Peace came from within. 

Faced with difficulties and enormous challenges, He chose to serve. By grace, He made His peace.

There were a lot of lessons in that realization.  I noted Jesus didn’t go to God in prayer as a last resort but first.  Jesus laid His soul bare, putting His concerns on the altar, as we say today. 

That was a big takeaway for me.  I used to think you do all you can and then turn it over to God.  Through this, I learned that before you do anything, pray about it, seek wisdom, seek guidance, and then do your part and then leave it on the altar.  

Life is going to have storms and hills and valleys.  We were never promised it would not.  What we were promised is that we would face nothing alone.  God is with us, Christ is with us, always.

That means, He is available to guide, assist, offer insight and oversight all the time.  24/7.  But it is up to us to call on Him and ask for that expertise to be shared.  He gave us free will and won’t infringe unless we let Him know our free will choice.  In doing so, we acknowledge our limits and His lack of limits.

This, in my experience, brings peace—even during life’s storms.  It isn’t so much something we find, as it is that, when we get our house in order, peace finds us.

Blessings,

Vicki Hinze