Peace Can Be Illusive, But Worth Finding – Especially at Night!
Some years back I was on staff with a young man having questions about his marriage and tension with his wife. After he and I spent time praying and talking, he startled me by blurting out, “I’ve got it!” I said, “What have you got?” During the prayer God had revealed to him an insight into his wife’s lack of peace and persistent worry. He went home and implemented what he’d heard, and God honored him by bringing a new level of love, joy, and peace into the relationship.
Her lack of peace and security was a left-over from the past when her dad’s behavior had left her fearful and insecure. My friend went home with a declaration. He told his spouse at an appropriate time while they were alone, “I am not going anywhere. I love you and by God’s grace will never stop loving you. I am in this marriage for the long haul.” He told me that her demeanor changed almost immediately. He believed his declaration was God-ordained. She began to believe it, and peace came into her heart. That was about 20 years ago. Last I heard, they were still going strong.
I know that peace comes from many places and circumstances and is lost in as many ways, but we are talking about real peace. Peace that comes back if and when it tries to fly away. Peace that lasts through a storm. Peace that is with you on your bed at night as you fall asleep and that greets you in the morning when you awaken.
In the case of my married friends, he and she found peace knowing that the love they have is not sustained by human effort alone. When you know you are loved and are assured of it, peace is a beautiful by-product. Through it all, when we are loved and aware of it, we know we won’t be abandoned or neglected. That kind of love and promised presence come from only one source: the love of God.
- When we know we are loved by Him and convinced of it, we can settle down and find security for here and hereafter.
- When we know we are loved by Jesus Christ, our Savior, we no longer search for a substitute savior. We have the real one. We will never be hungry or thirsty for another god.
- When we know we are loved by God, we know we don’t have to deserve being loved. We simply are.
- When we know we are loved and receive the gift of eternal life and the promised Holy Spirit, peace and love are produced inside because they are the fruit He yields in us.
- When we know we are loved by a person…truly loved, that foreshadows the love of God. When we know we are loved by God, we can risk loving others and being loved because (though we can certainly still be hurt by others), we can not be devastated by a loveless life since God is love. He’s not going anywhere!
We love because He first loved us. We find peace when we receive the gift of salvation and forgiveness in Christ. Peace is a gift we can’t earn but can receive freely by grace through faith.
Peace is but one of many gifts God offers us in a relationship with Him.
So, the love of a spouse, parent, a child, a friend, or other caring human being is a wonderful thing, but all real love is rooted in the truth that “we love because He first loved us”. I John 4:19