As we know, Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Author of our Faith. We look to Him constantly for the answers we need. Did you know that He is also our Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)?
The Prophet Isaiah beautifully described him this way in his prophecies concerning the coming of Christ as a child to the Virgin Mary. Since He is our Savior and Redeemer and our Prince of Peace, surely He can guide and direct us toward the peace we all need in these challenging times.
In fact, Jesus prayed for this very thing during His time on the earth. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.” He prayed, when He was with His disciples. He affirmed his prayer by reminding them, “I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).
No matter how intense your fears might be, God is with you. He will help you if you ask Him to through prayer. By saying “Dear God”, followed by what’s on your heart and mind, you’re inviting Him into your heart, where He can help you feel His peace. That peace is the very peace that Jesus described in his prayer in John 14:27. No matter how crazy the world around you might be, this peace is accessible to you if you seek it.
Prayer is perhaps the most powerful tool we have that will help us to feel the Holy Spirit in our lives. Through the Holy Spirit–the same Spirit that came to Christ’s disciples after He ascended to Heaven–we can feel the love and peace that is only attainable through our Lord and Savior.
There are so many different things that can strip us of our peace. Fighting with a family member, no matter how big or small the argument might be, can be very stressful. A bad test grade during college applications can make a student cry!
Life itself is stressful. Our Father in Heaven knows that. That’s why we can pray and focus our attention on Christ when we’re going through a hard time. In this devotional, I want to invite you to pray for peace. I’m also going to share seven different ways you can pursue peace in your daily life.
- Resolve conflicts quickly. It’s easy to get upset when someone says something that hurts our feelings. Thankfully, there are Scripture verses that teach us how to respond. Matthew 18:15-17 even gives us a process to go through to resolve conflicts.
- Listen carefully. James 1:19 invites us to listen before we speak and to be careful with our words.
- Watch our words. Proverbs 15:1 teaches us that using heated words will only make things worse.
- Seek out peace. Matthew 5:19 blesses those who strive to be peaceful instead of stirring up a fight.
- Let the Lord fight your battles. God is loving, but He is also just. This means that He won’t turn a blind eye when one of His children is hurt by another child. Like a loving Father, He will discipline each one of us. Hebrews 10:30 reminds of what the Old Testament says. “For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
- Remember whose you are. A lack of peace can often mean a lack of remembering who you are. Jesus Christ payed the price for your sins at Calvary. God loved you so much that He was willing to sacrifice his only Son for you (John 3:16). Remember that you are an adopted son or daughter of God, and you are His. Isaiah 43:1 states, “Do not fear. I have redeemed you. I have summoned you. You are mine.”
- Remember that you are so loved that the Savior of the World shed His blood for you. Let that sink in and provide your heart with peace! John 3:16 reminds us of the ultimate sacrifice that God and Jesus Christ made for us.
As we can see, peace comes from God and through Jesus Christ. We can attain peace by resolving conflicts through the steps above and by remembering who and Whose we are. Those tools and that knowledge can change everything. Let’s pray together.
Dear God, we come before you today seeking peace. It’s been hard to feel peace lately with everything going on in our personal lives and in the world. We pray that you will help us recognize areas in our lives where we can be peacemakers and where we can seek peace from your Son. We thank you for your Son’s sacrifice. In Jesus’ name, amen.