Peace

In April 2015 I was lying on a beach in Malibu, California. The sand was white, the sea was clear blue and there was no one to be seen but me and my two friends! It was so peaceful. I remember saying to myself, 'this is what peace feels like'.

Recently with a lot of unsettlement in our world and with having a forced pause on life, I have come to realise that peace is not a destination but is a gift from God. When we are in  relationship with God we can even find peace through the storms of life! God won't always take us out  of our storms but he is with us through them and wants us to find peace with him. 

We need peace in our life, we weren't created to live stressed out lives full of worries, fears and trouble. The reality is, in life, troubles do come; life can be hard, but we weren't designed to always live in that. It's important we remember that God's peace can always be with us, whatever we are going through! As Jesus says in John 14:27, ' - “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

God gives us the gift of peace, we can pray to God about all our worries, fears and anxieties and I believe when we do, we can feel at peace because we leave the rest up to God! It is important we find peace within our lives and  live at peace with others! 

I know during lockdown finding peace with others may be more testing then ever before! But when we find peace within our own lives we can share that peace with others, as it is a fruit of the spirit within us. In Hebrews 12:14 it says, ' Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord'. We should ensure that we are not living with unforgiveness towards others and not responding with hurt towards other people. We can ask God to help us to have peace with those around us and ensure we are responding with grace and love to others just as Jesus did. 

How do we get peace? 

We get peace by asking God, we can pray to him and come to him with all of our worries. We can go to God whenever. I know for me I give all things to God, when I do I can feel at peace because I am putting my trust in him. Having a relationship with God helps me to love others, have grace for others and forgive others. 

Challenge

I want to challenge you to write all the things you are worried about down and give them to God by praying. Each day give everything to God, this will help you to find peace. 

You may need to retreat and find some quiet time, which is easier said then done but so important! Jesus often had to retreat to be with his father.

I also want to challenge you if you have unforgiveness for someone or find it hard to live in peace with those around you, ask God to help you to forgive them and to give you patience, kindness and love for them. 

Prayer

Dear God, 

I thank you that you are the God of peace and that we can come to you with all of our thoughts, feelings, questions and situations. I pray that you would help me to find peace in every situation and I pray that you would be with me in everything today. 

I pray that you would help me to have peace with myself and with those around me, I pray you would help me to show your love and grace in everything I do today. 

Amen

Written by Naomi Gordon

Youth worker at Bluecoat Aspley