One of the fruits of the Spirit is peace, as the apostle Paul described: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus tells us what peace means when He miraculously stopped the storm on the Sea of Galilee with his disciples; And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39). Jesus brought peace to the raging waters.
John MacArthur, who recently finished his long ministry and went home to be with the Lord, wrote that this peace is an “inner calm or tranquility that is promised to the believer who has a thankful attitude based on unwavering confidence that God is able and willing to do what is best for his children…” (Romans 8:28) “God’s peace guards believers from anxiety, doubt, fear, and distress.”
In another place, he describes it as “the inner calm that results from confidence in one’s saving relationship with Christ. Like joy, peace is not related to one’s circumstances.” What’s remarkable about the Lord’s peace, as MacArthur noted, is that this inner calm is something that a believer can have at any time, even in the most difficult circumstances. Jesus told us that we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33), but when that trouble comes, incredibly, we have access to the Lord’s peace.
The Peace Promised to His People
The writers of Scripture and Jesus himself described this peace many times. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed to the people of Israel the song that will be sung in the future in the land of Judah. A portion of this song describes the Lord’s precious peace: You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock (Isaiah 26:3-4). David also sang and played a song concerning the Lord’s peace: Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22).
Jesus described this peace in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25-34) when he addressed the common human problem of anxiety. Jesus told the crowd that if God cares for the “birds of the air” and the “lilies of the field,” how much more will He be there to help with the trials of life. He then closed with these powerful words: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
The apostle Paul describes the peace of God in his letter to the church in Philippi: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
In each of these cases, the peace of God is described as something that God’s people have access to at all times, and it is especially needed in times of adversity.
To have the Lord is to have his peace.
How to Have This Peace
In each of the passages of Scripture above, there is a common thread. Believers are placed with the responsibility to trust in order to have the Lord’s peace. Just because someone is born again does not mean that they will always have peace. In times of trouble, believers need to have strong confidence that the Lord is going to take care of them. Isaiah told the people of Israel to have “one’s mind stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3).
Paul also explains that our minds need to be focused on the things of God, not on things that would fill our minds with distress (Philippians 4:8-9). As this is done, “the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).
In each of these cases, what is being described is God’s peace. God’s spokesmen, and His son Jesus, instruct us how to experience a commodity more precious than gold. Per their instruction, it is a strong trust in the Lord that is needed for the Lord’s peace, this great calm, to come over the believer. According to the apostle Paul, this can be present in the believer because of the Spirit’s presence (Galatians 5:22). It is the Spirit working in a believer’s life that prompts one to trust, and once the believer obeys this prompting and trusts, what will result is calmness amid adversity. This calmness is the Lord’s peace.
An Otherworldly Peace
The apostle Paul tells us that the peace of God surpasses human understanding (Philippians 4:7). In other words, this peace is not some psychological mechanism, but rather supernaturally comes from God. It is not some Eastern meditation ritual where one can rid all of the anxiety from their mind. As the world tries to manufacture God’s peace, the result is a profound absence of peace.
But the peace that comes from God is true and lasting for the one who seeks and trusts Him. No matter how hard things get, this inner calm always remains with the believer.
May the Lord strengthen us as we face the adversity of life to experience His peace that the world can never explain nor produce.
