Devotion 12: More Thoughts on Peace

Leviticus 26:6
6 "I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country.”

At the beginning of each meeting with our church small group we go around the room asking for prayer concerns. Some weeks there are many requests, some weeks there are few. They can be for healing, or travel, or jobs, or relationships, or whatever is on the heart of the members of the group. Last week as I listened to the requests I heard the same theme come through no matter what the issue –Peace. God’s people were asking for peace in their lives. After the meeting I couldn’t get this theme, this plea, off my mind. God’s people seek peace. And God promises this peace, here in Leviticus and elsewhere.

“You will lie down and no one will make you afraid.” – How comforting. This is God’s promise and when we are closest to God we feel this peace. When we are in the midst of the trials of life our prayer is for peace either by getting over the trial or getting through the trial or being removed from the trial. What we learn is that we can find peace even in the middle of the trial if we focus on God and his promise.

How do we lose peace? Well, as we’ve said, it can be taken from us by the trials of life. But there is also a way that we can just lose peace by our own actions. We can remove ourselves from God. Think back over your life. Has there been a time when you were in a situation where you removed yourself from God’s love? If so, were you at peace? Probably not. Ask yourself when you found peace again. If you’re honest it was probably when you opened yourself up to God once again. In Isaiah we find, “The fruit of righteousness will be peace, the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.” (Isaiah 32:17). God’s plan is for us to live under his care so that he can grant us peace throughout it all so that “no one will make your afraid.”