Peace. What is it, and how do I get it?

    Peace. That five letter word that every person wishes they had, every family tries to maintain, every city fights to uphold, and every nation tries to obtain.

    Merriam-Webster defines peace as:
1:   a state of tranquility or quiet: as
       a : freedom from civil disturbance
       b : a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom
2: freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
3: harmony in personal relations
4: a state or period of mutual concord between governments; a pact or agreement to end hostilities   between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity
5: Used internationally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell at peace : in a state of concord or tranquility

    In 2004, the movie 'Troy' came out in theaters. Before Achilles dies, he says these words to the young woman who captured his heart, "You gave me peace, in a lifetime of war." Viewers did not need explanation of his meaning. We all knew that Briseis had given Achilles the only moments of peace he had ever experienced in his life. He had lived all of his life in defiance of death, always seeking something to glorify himself. But when Briseis came into his life, it took on a new meaning, and a new purpose. The idea of marrying and raising a family became more appealing to him than the glory of his own name. In the end, he lost that peace, but he had it for a moment because of her.

    We are all so familiar with what peace is, or supposed to be, but few have really ever experienced it. And many of us have the wrong idea of what God's peace really is. But I can tell you -it doesn't make any sense!

    The other day a friend shared with me that they acknowledged they had an anger problem. Yes. It was primarily anger towards injustice, but it wasn't necessarily right. After sharing their heart, the person then remarked, "I don't know if you have some magical formula answer... You probably don't. There isn't one, is there?"

    I was looking down at my hands when I responded, "Actually, ...in this particular instance -I do."

    Before I reveal the answer, please let me share a quick testimony.
 
    This is rather ironic. I cannot tell you the date, or even what age I was when I accepted Christ as my Savior. I cannot tell you when I began to understand the God of the OT and NT were really the same God. I cannot even tell you what I ate for dinner last week. But I can tell you the exact date and approximate time that I first experienced God's peace: August 30, 2015, about 2:30pm (PST).

    It first came upon me after a couple of days praying and fasting for a decision I had to make. I was less than a month away from my Bible school, and I had only $500 to pay towards the $8,100 needed. I was so sure God was wanting me to go, and this was the time. I had no money, and no guarantee of it coming in. I just couldn't justify in my heart to go without the money, but I couldn't accept that the door had closed this time. So, I begged God to tell me what I should do. And two days into my fast He gave me Revelation 3:8, and an email from the leader of the school encouraging me to come in faith. Right after I received that email I made the decision in my heart to take that challenge and come to the school believing the Lord would provide the money. And the moment I made that decision, I felt a peace inside my heart I had never known before.

    But two weeks into my school the enemy had succeeded in stripping that peace from me speaking lies into my heart that it was my fault I didn't have the money, and I was dishonoring God and the leaders. So, I asked my head leader if I could speak to him, and shared my story. My leader's response gave me the reassurance I needed, and as he prayed over me I felt my peace restored. Then the Lord gave me Psalm 18, and for the first time in my life I understood the true beauty of the Psalms. It was like a summary of what I had just gone through: God gave me peace. I allowed the enemy to steal it from me. I turned to God for help. He came to my defense. He restored His peace in me.

    So, back to my response to the person who asked me if I knew of some secret formula.

    I told my friend that I've also struggled with anger and frustration issues in the past. I still do. I still get worried or scared sometimes. But not as much as I used to. I now have this really odd sense of peace inside my heart. A peace of knowing that I'm not alone. A peace that assures me I will be okay. A peace that gives me hope in the darkest situation. A peace that truly surpasses all understanding. A peace that... just flat out doesn't make any sense!

    I used to think that God removed something from our hearts (like anger) and replaced it with His peace. But it's really the complete opposite! First, God's instills His peace in our hearts with the issues still intact. Then we find ourselves in inner conflict because we have all this stress and anxiety on one side, and complete and secure rest on the other. They both exist within the same body, but the mind doesn't know what to do with it.

    The first few months I had God's peace in my heart, I struggled with it. I had never experienced something like that before (that I remembered). It didn't make any sense to feel so peaceful when I had a lot to worry about. It may sound strange, but it's true. That's why the enemy was able to steal it away for a couple of days. But God restored it to me again when I came to Him. I confronted the issue by being honest with my leader about my struggle. I didn't run away from it. I confronted it. And when I went to my leader, I wasn't asking God to give me the money for school. I was asking for Him to restore His peace in my heart. I needed that peace more than I needed money.

    The secret formula to getting rid of your anger issues (actually all your issues) is this: Trust God.

    Don't ask God to take away your anger (or whatever else). Ask Him to fill you with His peace. Peace is trusting God. Even when it seems like everything is against you, know that He will not let you down. If you get sick or injured, know that He is holding you up. If you have no money, food, or clothes, believe that He will provide. If a friend has betrayed you, know that He has not. If you are persecuted, know that He will carry you through.

    You get God's peace when you decide to trust Him. ...And I mean REALLY trust Him.

    I told my friend that I learned the first thing we ask for is not for God to remove something. What we need to be asking for is for His peace in our hearts. We need to focus on trusting Him so that He can give us His peace. Once that peace is in there it conflicts with everything else. But all we need to do is keep trusting Him. And as we learn to trust Him more and more, that peace begins to take over more and more. All those 'issues' that we struggle with become smaller while His peace grows stronger within us. But it's not an overnight process. We have to keep trusting God.

    After I shared this, my friend agreed with me and referred to the scripture in John 8, when Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." My friend described how we are all in darkness, but Jesus comes and sheds light into our hearts, and all those 'issues' are now revealed. As my friend spoke, I had a vision in my mind of a room with furniture and various objects(junk room). I envisioned the room was dark, but then someone flipped on the switch and light came into the room. But all the junk was still in the room. It cast shadows and blocked the light in certain areas. But now that light had come into the room, everything was removed one item at a time, until eventually the room was empty and completely filled with light. No shadows.

    I believe it is the same way with us. We keep wanting God to remove all the junk out of hearts and minds. And He wants to do it. But before He can do that we have to trust Him. Accepting Christ as our Savior is only the beginning of our salvation. Accepting Christ is like turning on the light in a dark room. But there's still a lot of junk in there. And we have this habit of thinking that it's up to us to clear it all out, but we can't. We will just stumble along in that crowded room. We don't know where to start. (Often, we start with the wrong issue anyways.) But God knows where to start, and He is able to remove all that junk. We just need to trust Him and make Him Lord over our lives.

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    God healed me from my grief and restored my hope. But I still did not have peace in my heart. But the very moment I decided to stop looking at my circumstances and decided to trust Him instead, I gained peace. And just in these past nine months He has carried me through very difficult seasons: I have let go of my worldly processions (not just physically, but also in my heart), I have seen Him provide for my financial needs again and again. When my laptop went out, He provided a new one. When my car battery died, He provided money for a new one. When I had no money to buy Christmas presents, someone donated to me for the purpose. When I was sick, He provided the right people to treat me. When I was recovering from surgery, He provided people to take care of me. When I could have failed that trimester (because I missed due to the surgery), He caused my leaders to give me grace and help me finish. When I missed being able to talk to my mom, He put people in my life who would talk to me as she would. When I was overwhelmed with homework and craving something sweet with carbs to get me through, He provided leftover birthday cake!

    My life problems are not solved. I still owe $1,500 for the school. I'm not 100% sure what all I'm going to do these next months. But I'm okay with that. I might stress about it a bit sometimes, but ultimately I know the Lord will help me through that. It may mean my supporters provide the last of my fees. It may mean I get a job for a bit and pay it off. Either way, I know I'm going to be okay.

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    Jesus said that He came into the world so we could have life and live it abundantly (John 10:10). And there are people out there who thinks this means all Christian's should be happy, healthy, and wealthy. But that's not what it means. On the contrary, Jesus also promised His disciples (including us) that we would have trouble and suffering in this world (John 16:33). And Paul told Timothy that 'all who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted' (2 Tim 3:12). The abundant life Christ promised is not a guarantee of health, wealth, and happiness. Rather it is a peace that surpasses all understanding. This peace will guard our hearts and our minds (Phil 4:7).

    After all, how many wealthy people out there are living a peaceful life? How many celebrities have good health, extreme wealth, ...but no happiness? How many people are bored with life because they don't have to work? How many people are so worried about making money they never enjoy their lives?

    Living an abundant life is having God's peace in your heart. You can have this when you decide to trust Him completely. It doesn't mean you won't have struggles. But it does mean that you will finally find rest in your heart and in your mind. No matter what happens.

    Will you give your trust to the Lord today and let Him be your peace?