Peace as a Shield

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives

do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27

Peace. A word we use to coat the bad situations around us. A word we speak when we don't know what else to say to someone. A word we cry out for when the world seems hopeless. Have you ever told someone to "just be at peace?" It's a word we so easily throw around yet, many of us have never truly experience the peace that God has given us. We look for God's peace in all the wrong places. If you were honest with yourself what would say gives you the most peace? Financial stability? Good relationships? Having your calendar planned out for the next year? We find the most peace when we feel good about ourselves, about our lives, and about our status. We feel peace when things are going the way we want and think they should go. But, really is that any peace at all? When we place our hope for peace in worldly scenarios we blame God and ourselves when things don't go as planned. Have you ever thought maybe God's testing me or punishing me? Or maybe you've blamed yourself thinking you made a wrong decision because your peace disappeared. We look for peace in all the wrong places. The deeper we grow in our walk with the Lord the more we'll understand and feel His peace. This requires our eyes to be fixed on Him alone. It requires a lot of practice in simply trusting Him through all situations. It requires faith that He who promised is faithful. This is why during some of the most painful seasons of our lives we feel God's peace the most. When we have nothing left to cling to or look to but God we finally feel and understand what He has given us. It feels as if there is a shield of piece literally surrounding your heart even when life feels like it's crashing down around you. It makes you smile when you have no reason to smile. It makes you keep going even when you feel like giving up. It makes you sleep soundly through the night. It's something we all desire yet many of us ignore the free gift that has been given and turn to the world for a temporary peace. Have you been searching for peace? Have you been looking in the wrong places? We pray this week that you would seek first the kingdom of God and that you would experience a new level of trust in your Heavenly Father. We pray that you would begin to experience God's peace on the good days and the bad. That His peace would not only be something you feel when life is hard, but daily so that it overflows into the

lives around you. May His peace be a shield around your heart and mind this week.