Galatians 5:22,23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
The third fruit of the Spirit is peace. This word has many meanings: a cessation of war, peace among people, personal peace and peace with God are the ones that come to mind. The lack of peace broke into our lives with original sin. Things were perfect in that divine/human relationship. It happened because they went against God. Their lack of inner peace was the first manifestation, as they saw that they were naked (Genesis 3:7). They sought to remedy this by making clothes from leaves. Shame replaced their peace.
The first void was actually the removal of peace with God. At one moment they were in a good place, the next they were separated from Him. This created all their problems. All the cataloged list of problems of humanity can be attributed to this. Almost immediately the Lord begins to help them. "And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them", (3:21). He lessens their shame with clothing. Helping them gain some peace.
He began to work on peace with people through Israel. The sin problem had to be addressed. It was through the animal sacrifices as the bible says there is no forgiveness of sins unless there is shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). Temporarily through the blood of animals, but eventually through Jesus' blood. That's what settled the peace problem. The only thing that remained was for each individual to claim it.
Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ". The door is opened to a relationship with God. When anyone accepts Christ peace with God is found.
The forgiveness of sin paid for the guilt of our trespasses. So our debt was paid, which created a legal peace. Sin can be forgiven. That is another type of peace. With the legal dealt with a relationship with God is now possible.
This opens the door for the peace of God. I believe this is the peace referenced in today's verse. It's a mix of lessened anxiety and a tangible peace. It's more than a feeling, much deeper.
I would say that this peace is the result of being in God's presence. Jesus' blood paid for sin and satisfied God's justice. So when we accept Christ, He comes into our hearts and sets up residency (Revelations 3:21). It's almost like sitting quietly with a friend. We have comfort in the presence of another. This is true of God on a much larger scale.
Counseling can be helpful when struggling with difficult emotions. It can help one achieve more peace. God's work in one's life can produce much healing. One of His names is Wonderful Counselor. He knows us best and works all out for our good. Part of this process is being in the bible, in church, in christian fellowship and walking in obedience. Psalm one says that "he shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water". Counseling may be necessary for some, but the Lord works in our lives to bring peace and healing.
Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee". This verse tells us how we are to maintain His peace. As Christians we aren't exempt from problems. During life's difficulties God will help us. Sometimes that involves waiting and it always requires trusting. Until our deliverance or the resolving of the problem, He wants us to trust Him. This means we focus on Him, not the problem. True, we might need to give the problem our attention, as it may be up to us to fix it. The mind attention this verse addresses has to do with worry.
In Jesus addressing the topic of worry, He shares this, "And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span (Matthew 6:27)? How do we know when our attention to a problem is necessary or worrying? An easy answer is how does it make us feel? Does it increase our worry? If so, take a break. When it's required focus, our mind and skills occupy us, so there isn't time to worry. This uses our left brain, which is not the emotional side.
Lord, thank You for Your peace. Thank You for sending Your Son to make that peace possible. Thank You for Your presence which gives us that peace. Thank You for Your peace which calms our trembling hearts and is our constant companion.