By Chris WittsSaturday 8 Apr 2023Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
Subscribe to Morning Devotions podcast
Transcript:
A group of children were once asked an adult type question. “Why is it that some people are at peace and others are not?” Well Savannah aged eight, she said. “Some people just don’t know what inner peace is.”
Maybe it’s just they’re so rushed. If people could slow down, maybe that would help. And Lauren, who is seven, said “some people don’t like to be quiet.” To have quiet, you must live in a quiet house, and then 10 year old Valerie said, “Some people do not have inner peace because they’ve got so much anger in them.”
And then Mindy, who has seven, said “some people have inner peace because they have happiness and joy inside them. Jesus has some inner peace,” she said. Well, I could go on and on about this. How to find inner peace. All sorts of people have written on this topic or could give you advice like Dr Phil, who made this statement one of his TV episodes.
“The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you’ve started and have never finished.” Yes, That’s a good view from a gifted communicator. Sensible advice. But I have a feeling that anger, disappointments and regrets rob us of our peace, and we become upset.
So how do we find inner peace?
One writer says, with a constant stream of media noise, conflict and other distractions, you will not likely find times of quiet and stillness and spiritual reflection unless you plan to do that. Unless you pursue meditation as a discipline. The key to inner peace and a fulfilled life is one that is grounded in Christian meditation. What that means is that in silence and solitude, we come face to face with our true selves and the issues that we must deal with. Now, you might say, I know I can make my life a success if I try hard enough, maybe a lifestyle decision. If I can make enough money, life will be wonderful or even over a time period.
Do you have to go somewhere geographically in order to find peace? And some people travel the world looking for that ideal holiday destination, a place of comfort and peace away from the everyday worries. Do you have a particular book or go to a particular workshop, for example, or meet the right mentor. Now all these things can be helpful. Of course, many gifted people have tried for answers like Marcus Aurelius. “He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe,” he said. But what does that actually mean? Pascal, the great French philosopher and mathematician, once remarked that the greatest problem facing the human family is the inability to be still.
He saw people when he was alive 300 years ago, rushing through life, not able to stop and reflect on life. And back then there were no cars, aeroplanes, Internet or TV. So what would Paschal think if he lived in our present time in this 21st century? We can’t be still or we might feel bored. It’s difficult to relax. We have to just keep going, and I think as a result we’re stressed and tense.
But that’s not what God wants for us.
He wants us to live a life filled with inner peace, not a life filled with restlessness, strive, fear, uncertainty.
In the Old Testament time, God wanted his Hebrew people to fill their lives with his shalem, which is a word meaning peace, prosperity or welfare. The words point to an abundant life of fullness and joy. It means to be physically, well, emotionally sound and spiritually whole. We can’t create our own sense of it. It has to come from God himself, through the person of Jesus Christ. It’s when we take our eyes off God that we don’t have peace. We can look at the things going on in our world, and everything seems to be falling apart, which it is. But if we are a Christian, then the source of our peace is not in those places. It’s inside of us in the person of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity who guides and comforts us. This is difficult for non-Christians to understand and only begins to make sense after accepting Jesus as Saviour.
Nothing fills that void in your life until God is there. It’s the same with peace. When people don’t want what God has for them, they need to look elsewhere.
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, we do need peace in our world, but we also need the inner stability and grace inside our own life to help us meet the obstacles and the challenges. Thank you that the Holy Spirit will give peace today, amen.