II Thessalonians 3:16
“Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!”
This what the Lord does in our lives. He will give us peace in every circumstance. Much like a person would leave evidence of their presence, such as finger prints. So, the evidence that God is working in someone’s life is peace.
Here are some passages that support that: Psalm 29:11, “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace”, Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” and John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid”.
That doesn’t mean all our circumstances will be peaceful. Far from it. John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” There will be tribulation. Jesus says the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).
How does this work? Circumstances come upon us and we get anxious. We seek to repair. Sometimes we’re successful, sometimes not. In all of this we are praying and asking for guidance and peace. In time, we begin to trust in Him. Even though our situations are not as we would have hoped. The result of our trust is peace. We’ve given it up to Him. We end with “Thy will be done”.
The longer we walk with Him, the more constant is this peace. The bad circumstance may come, but we see it as an opportunity to trust. There is no jump in heart rate. Just peace.
While our distrust can drive away this peace and our trust allows it to stay, it is not of us. It’s not the result of positive thinking. The peace of God is it’s own entity. It’s the result of His presence. As we trust Him, we give Him greater room in our lives. Revelations 3:20 says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Jesus comes in and peace accompanies Him.
Lord, thank You for Your peace. Help us not to be anxious, but to trust.