Do you have this kind of pervasive peace? Do I?

Why Don't We Have Perfect Peace?

I came to grips with this question one summer during a solitary retreat. As I reviewed the preceding inventory, I realized that I would have to respond either seldom or frequently to most of the questions. And I asked myself, "Why can't I answer consistently! Why is it that I don't know more of the peace of God if, indeed, I believe in God? I've been a Christian for more than 50 years. Why are there some days when peace eludes me?"

So many of us share a longing for lasting peace, but we are unsure of the litmus test of salvation: abiding inner-peace that endures difficult people and disturbing circumstances.

How to Have Consistent Peace

My mind drifts back over the years. I picture the people gathered in my beloved congregations. I search in memory's cherished album of faces, slipping through the pages in search of anyone I can remember who experienced consistent peace.

Then a disturbing thought hits me. Why are there so few people I can recall who exude peace regardless of problems or perplexities? Why don't I know more of them now? Why is it true peace seems to be such a rare trait in people who believe in God?

A few faces come to me. They are young and old, rich and poor, highly educated and self-taught, men and women. Yet they all have this one thing in common: They are unruffled, imperturbable, unflappable, unhurried. They all have perfect peace.

Strangely enough, many of these people have suffered difficult circumstances, endured physical pain, and have routinely coped with troublesome people. And yet, each of them manifests a profound, palpable sense of peace. I have felt it when I've been with them. They are centered, at ease with themselves, and in love with the Lord. Their serenity startles me, their reliance on a silent inner strength inspires me, and their resiliency in tense times always encourages me.

What are the qualities that allow these people to experience the kind of peace that is unassailable by the surging storms of life?

How would you like to experience that kind of consistent peace? A peace that lasts in the midst of conflict? A peace that holds together when your world falls apart?

The Source

There is only one source of that kind of consistent peace -- God. Throughout the Bible, language is stretched to distinguish God's true peace from temporary, transitory peace. Jesus carefully distinguished His peace from the world's peace. Paul talked about a peace that surpasses all understanding. Peter offered "multiplied peace" to early Christians in his epistle. In each case it is the same: an effort to set divine peace off and above, as something different -- something that men and women cannot produce on their own. The Bible is clear: we can't make peace, but we can receive it.

God's peace is superlative -- excellent, the greatest, matchless, peerless, supreme, unparalleled, unrivaled, unsurpassed. It is so important that we understand the superlative nature of God's peace as we begin our study of authentic peace. The peace of God is His unrivaled authority. He is the Creator, Sustainer, and gracious Redeemer of the universe. He is omniscient, knowing all from the beginning to the end; He is omnipotent, all-powerful, dependent on nothing and no one else; He is omnipresent, everywhere and yet present to those who allow Him into their lives.