The God of Peace
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
Some of us don’t live very peaceful lives because we rely too much on our own thinking.
“What if this goes wrong?”
“I need to make sure this thing doesn’t happen.”
“I need to make sure this thing does happen.”
“I have to think of everything!”
One of the amazing things about the peace of God is that He has thought of everything. That is part of what peace means. He is taking care of you, and you get to relax with Him and simply trust.
It isn’t that thinking is bad. The ability to think and reason is one of His beautiful gifts to you. You get to love Him with all your mind (Mark 12:30).
But He wants your mind to be filled with peaceful things, not fear, worry, or striving (see Phil. 4:8). It is important to think His way because His way brings life to the body and health to the bones (Prov. 3:7–8).
God’s Peace and Psalm 16
Psalm 16 paints a beautiful picture of who God is and what real peace looks like, even though the psalm never mentions the word peace.
Try to read Psalm 16 a few different times this week, and think about what it means for you personally. Pray it over yourself, your future spouse, your home, and your family.
Here is one way you can turn the psalm into a prayer:
Father, thank You for keeping me safe. In You I take refuge. You are my Lord, and I have no good thing outside of You. You take care of everything that belongs to me. The story You have written for me is good and excellent. Thank You for faithfully teaching me. Even while I am sleeping, You are speaking to my spirit and teaching me the way I should go. You are the most important thing in my life. I know I will never be shaken, because You are with me. Therefore, my heart is happy, and my tongue speaks thanksgiving and praise. My entire body is safe and at peace because of You. My body rests securely because You are watching over it. You have shown me the way to go, and You fill me with complete joy in Your presence. I have so many good things, and they will never end—because of You. In the precious name of Jesus, amen.
Be at peace, beloved child of God. He has thought of everything, and all His peace is for you.
Your heavenly Father loves you more than you realize! For more about His amazing, unending love, check out Becoming the One by Salomé Roat. Click here to learn more. The book is also available in Spanish.