Peace can mean different things to different people but it's something that so many of us long for. The recent popularity of mindfulness and meditation all points towards our unrelenting desire for a sense of peace in our increasingly hectic lives.
On a grander scale, world events can ignite our passion for peace on a global stage. When confronted with the atrocities of war and conflict we find ourselves praying for peace to be reached between the fighting parties.
But we can also seek peace in domestic settings where family members, friends or colleagues fail to see eye to eye and when we experience personal struggles with certain issues.
A lot of the time when we think about peace we define it as the absence of conflict, as if something negative has to stop occurring to enable peace to flourish.
This attitude towards peace and how it's achieved is grounded in the worldly definition of peace. A deeper, biblical peace is revealed to us through scripture, a kind that is only possible through Jesus. This kind of God-given peace "transcends understanding" and can even be experienced in the midst of unpeaceful events.
Here are seven Bible verses which reveal the nature of the peace promised to us.
Isaiah 26:3 - You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Romans 5:1 - Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 14:17 - For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:33 - For God is not a God of disorder but of peace - as in all the congregations of the Lord's people.
Philippians 4:6-7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 - May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, should and body, be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
