How can I be peaceful mentally?
Listen: 68 Question 3
Men have always searched for inner peace. Many have tried different ways to get it, many have tried different religions, and many have tried mind-altering drugs to find peace. I’m sure we all desire to have that serenity and calmness in a world that is full of crime, immorality, stress, and uncertainty. Where is peace, and how can we attain it? Let’s begin by looking at a very familiar verse. Isaiah 9:6 says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” We often hear this verse around Christmas time because it speaks of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this verse, the Lord is given five names. The last name given is: Prince of Peace. Christ is the one that brings peace. In fact we read in Ephesians 2:14, that Christ, “…is our peace…”
King David wrote in Psalms 29:11 that, “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” Peace comes from the Lord. Peace that cannot be taken away by the worries of the world comes only from the Lord. Yes, peace comes from the Lord, and He gives it to His people.
Just a few hours from His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus said these remarkable words in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” How amazing that the Lord knew He would be killed in a matter of hours, yet He had peace. This is peace that passes all understanding. It is not the kind of peace that the world offers. That peace is fleeting and false. The Lord’s peace in the face of death is supernatural peace, and He left His peace with His disciples. The Lord said in John 8:31, “…If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” If you have put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, then you are a disciple of the Lord and His peace is available to you.
Let’s read Philippians 4:7-9, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” In this portion, we have two very important phrases, “the peace of God” and “the God of peace.” To truly have the peace of God, which is beyond our ability to understand, we must know the God of peace.
I pray that you will find peace. True peace only comes from the Lord. In fact, we read in Isaiah 48:22, “There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.” The wicked are simply those who have never accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. The Lord’s desire is that you have peace through Him, as we read in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
Having trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, you will have peace beyond what you can imagine. Peace that will keep you through the darkest hours; peace that will sustain you even as the world continues in turmoil; peace that uplifts you when life is trying to drag you down. Colossians 3:15-16 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”