Who doesn't want more peace in their life? Such peace doesn't mean a life sitting quietly while the world passes but an internal peace and calm which allows us to handle every twist and turn in life with minimized stress.
In our seven-day practical faith journey, you would hope that you could master inner peace. How do we attain it?
Certainly techniques like meditation can give us temporary peace. But I believe that true inner peace comes from through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit; therefore, to have peace, we simply need to allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate our inner thought life.
Let me suggest a couple of ways this can happen. First, consider Jesus's words in John 14:27 (NIV):
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
The Greek word for peace used here, eirene or eireni, indicates a state of law and order that produces blessings and prosperity. The word is used to describe the calm that a nation or city enjoys when it has a caring, competent, secure leader. In Biblical times, a village might have a superintendent of the village's eireni, the keeper of the public's peace.
As Jesus gives peace, then think of Jesus as superintendent of your eireni, the keeper of your peace, whom you connect to through his Holy Spirit, attaining an inner calm.
This knowledge gives new insight to Paul's famous statement about peace in Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV):
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Writing from prison, Paul had several superintendents. But the important one was the keeper of his peace, Christ Jesus. Paul tapped into that spirit of peace by giving everything fully to God, thankfully presenting his requests in prayer, and receiving sustainable peace in return.
Paul never says your prayers will be answered as you wished. Instead, he says that by praying and releasing your worries, you will achieve an inner peace that protects you, even when you're in prison or shipwrecked by the storms of life.
I admit that I don't always experience this kind of peace, but there's a reason: I'm not following the formula faithfully enough. Writing this helps me remember that I'm not far from a fearless existence if I will just talk with and trust the superintendent of my peace.
It has been said that joy is peace, dancing. To learn more about joy, check out my latest Practical Faith Academy podcast on joy with guest Season Bowers, the author of "The Joy Bringer Challenge." You'll come away with a new perspective on experiencing joy daily. You can find the podcast on major platforms (Apple, Audacy, iHeartRadio, Podbean, Spotify, and YouTube) by searching for "Practical Faith Academy." You can also visit CecilTaylorMinistries.com/free-content for links to the podcast on those platforms.
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