The Peace of God Is My Rest

For the seed of peace and the vine will yield its fruit, and the ground will give its increase, and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. — Zechariah 8:12
Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don't let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. — John 14:27
Nancy G. Marquez

Author

Nancy G. Marquez

Summary: Jesus not only promises us peace, but His own peace—a peace that surpasses our understanding and guards our hearts and minds amid turmoil. Like the depths of the sea, which remain still even when the surface is churned by storms and winds, God’s peace produces within us a calm so deep that afflictions cannot reach it. True peace does not depend on circumstances but dwells within us, sustaining a melody of trust even amid frustrations, crises, problems, and illnesses. When we make God’s peace our rest, we can lie down and sleep peacefully, trusting that the Lord alone gives us security.

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Jesus not only promises us peace, but also His peace. That peace which surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and our minds amid the turbulence of life. (Philippians 4:7) We can understand this better through the following illustration: In marine science, there is something called “The Cushion of the Sea.” This refers to the fact that beneath the surface of the sea, beneath that part which is stirred by storms and carried from one side to another by the winds, there is a part of the sea that is never disturbed. When scientists survey the ocean floor and bring up remains of animal and plant life, they find that those remains show no signs of having been disturbed in the slightest for hundreds and thousands of years. The Peace of God within us is that eternal calm which, like the “Cushion of the Sea,” lies too deep to be reached by any affliction or disturbance.

We then ask ourselves: Where is true peace found? The answer is simple. It is not found in the circumstances surrounding us, but within us. It is there, in the deepest part of our being, that a melody can resound, even amid the frustrations, vicissitudes, crises, problems, situations, and illnesses that come into our lives. When the peace of God is my rest, I can sleep peacefully and echo the Psalmist’s song (Psalm 4:8): “In peace I will lie down and sleep; for You alone, LORD, will make me dwell in safety.”