Unshakeable Peace

It’s been awhile since I wrote a blog post. Life as a homeschool mom along with ministry responsibilities with my hubby has kept me busy. Many have asked why I haven’t written lately and honestly I miss it and long for time to sit and write. I know the Lord has called me to be a mom and teach and raise these boys of ours to be strong men of God. I know I’m also called to be my husband’s helpmeet. I do a lot of things behind the scenes in our ministry that help my husband be able to do what he does. My boys and my husband are my first ministry and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you had asked me many years ago what I wanted to be when I grew up you would have heard me say, “I want to be a mom and a wife.” So my heart is content and filled with joy as I get to do the very things I desired as a young girl. Still, I am asking the Lord for the grace to find the time to write and share the things He places in my heart because I know it’s also part of my call. This is my prayer.

Today, as I ponder on life, I remember the time I was told I may never have children. To think my dream of being a mom was an impossibility was heart breaking. My life was filled with despair. My heart was broken for so many reasons and I longed for a peace that seemed so out of reach. I learned then, that peace is PRICELESS. Many people don’t realize how priceless peace is and they sacrifice their peace for temporary gratification and things in life that are fleeting. When peace is absent however, most people would trade anything in the world to have it back. If you’ve ever lived even a day without peace, you know this to be true. There was a time in my life I didn’t even know what peace was. All I knew was fear, worry and torment. It had ruled my life for so many years and I was desperate for change. When I surrendered my will to God, and began to grow in my relationship with Jesus, everything began to change. Today, I’m thankful for the unshakeable peace God makes available for all His children.

Jesus says, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10b)” I had heard this verse so many times growing up in church, but it fell on deaf ears and a hard heart for so long. If we look closely at this verse and let it sink into our spirits, we’ll see that it’s so much more than just some nice words we hope to have one day or once in awhile. It’s the very foundation of the kind of life God created us to live every day! The word “life” in this scripture is the Greek Word “zoe” which means the “God kind of life.” God isn’t fearful or worried. He isn’t filled with despair and hopelessness. He is life and joy and yes, peace! And Jesus came so that you and I could experience this God-kind of life. Let that sink in a minute.

This may seem impossible when life’s challenges seem to be mounting. Thankfully, peace isn’t based on our circumstances. This is something I needed to learn. I had been so used to allowing my peace to be stolen by my ever changing circumstances. I didn’t want to live this way anymore. I wanted the “zoe” life God had for me. We can’t change the people or circumstances around us, but we can change what we focus on. The Bible shows us that when we focus on Jesus instead of the circumstances, even in the midst of the storm, we can have an unshakeable, supernatural peace. Let’s look at Matthew 14:24-31.

In these verses, we see Peter saw Jesus walking on water and desired to walk to Him. He stepped out of the boat and began this miraculous walk. In verse 24 we read that the sea was already raging even before he stepped out, but Peter was focused on Jesus and not the waves around him. He was filled with peace and was accomplishing the miraculous! Somewhere during that walk however, we see that Peter took his focus off of Jesus and placed it on the raging sea and wind. It was then, fear overtook him and he began to sink. This is exactly what the enemy wants. He wants us to take our focus off Jesus and place it on our circumstances so he can steal our peace. When our focus is fixed on Jesus, we are able to walk in peace. We become impervious to the storms around us and we too can accomplish the miraculous!

One of the best ways we can keep our eyes focused on Jesus and not the circumstances around us, is by spending time in God’s Word. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (NLT).” Spending time in the Word of God helps us to keep our thoughts fixed on Jesus and not allow the storms and pressures of life to overtake us. The enemy will always try to steal our peace, but we don’t have to let him. When the thoughts of fear or worry come, we will be grounded in the Truth that will bring us that peace which “surpasses all understanding.” It’s an unshakeable peace. Only God can give it and no one can take it away. And friend, this peace is for you today, right now.

Published by Jill Sparrow

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