God provides in so many different ways every day. He provides the rising sun to light our day. He provides food, rest, and strength. He provides beautiful sunsets to close out our day as we head into a restful evening. I feel the sunset is the one that most represents peace to me because no matter what took place during the day, He gives rest for the next one, and the quietness and stillness, not to mention the slowing of the sun and the day, contribute to the peacefulness of the moment. But the sunset is not what brings or makes it peace…it is the giver of that sunset.
When you find a quiet place away from dailiness of life, that is a provision of peace to me. I love to be with people, but when I’m in a large group of people such as a church retreat or camp, I have to find moments of solitude and quietness to reflect on the peace that God gives in those moments. I guess that’s why I like to walk in the woods or sit by a stream, lake, or bay—anywhere that it’s quiet and still. The busyness of the beach and the sound of waves does not give me peace. It’s the quietness and stillness of a steady stream.
Peace is a feeling like Robert Browning expressed in one of his pieces of literature…
“God’s in His Heaven—
All’s right with the world!”
says poet Robert Browning
Though that’s not Scripture, it pretty much sums up peace in that it comes from God who made Heaven and earth, and He’s in control. When we accept His provisions and trust Him, He gives us His peace as a confirmation that He’s there and hasn’t forgotten us.
“The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.”
Isaiah 32:17-18, NIV
Israel suffered injustice from evil rulers and was looking for deliverance. That didn’t happen in their lifetime and won’t happen in the world in ours either. Christ is the only one who can bring true peace. We might have periods of peace here on earth and we can always have peace in our hearts, but the peace these verses are talking about won’t happen until Jesus comes again and wipes out all the evil and builds His new Heaven and new earth free of sin.
Without the provision of peace, what’s left for us in this world? War, famine, anxiety, depression, sickness, hatred, catastrophes, accidents, tragedies…need I go on?! We need God’s provision of peace in the midst of all these situations we find ourselves in this world. I couldn’t face any of these without God and His marvelous provision of peace to keep me calm and focused on Him.
“For Christ Himself has brought peace to us.
He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when,
in His own body on the cross,
He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.”
Ephesians 2:14, NLT
So much of today’s world is not at peace with themselves or one another because of differences—physical, emotional, nationality, spiritual, you name it! Jesus died for those differences to bring us all together in His kingdom. He wants to see those barriers come down as we come to Him. I can’t tear down those barriers alone and you can’t tear down those barriers alone. But together as we each come to Jesus, He tears down the barriers between us and brings us together in Himself.
I am so glad that God is my provider and that His peace is there for me to draw upon in any and all situations of life in which I find myself. His peace makes it possible for me to keep going and not give up. His peace gives me strength and hope to move on and keep trusting Him for every step I take.
Best of all, His provision of peace never runs out, never stops, never fails. The only thing that can short circuit the flow of peace into our heart is if we close our heart to Him and allow other things to cut off that flow. Accept His provision of peace today and guard it.