A couple of nights ago while in bed, I heard the winds howl and the rain beat outside, but I slept in perfect peace because, though the dangers outside were real, my house was secure. I remember when this was not the case.
I have had a lot of sleepless nights, moments in my life where I didn’t have peace because my peace was centered on something unstable: being accepted by people, being loved by my spouse, being liked by my children, by the sense of value I was provided by a certain lifestyle, by the security I got from how well things were going in my business or how much money I had in the bank, etc. – it was all so tenuous and uncertain.
But, I’m so glad to say that I finally have lasting peace.
This peace is built on the unchanging truth that good, meaning and satisfaction is in God alone. They do not exist anywhere else, only their deceptive, fleeting counterfeits.
I have these riches through the acceptance of His Son, Jesus. He ministers them to me through the Spirit and His Word.
I know and experience it most fully by allowing His ministry to flow through me toward others.
So, if I were to have everything else and not Him, it would be loss. If I were to lose everything else and have Him, it would be gain because He is an exceedingly greater treasure, making everything else worthless by comparison.
God is Good. Jesus loves me with an unfailing Love. So, good is always drawing near to me. I accept His love and I love Him. So, not only do I have Good and can never lose it, but I can also be part of it: a part of goodness, a part of beautiful, unfailing Love, a part of light in the world!
There is nothing more good, meaningful and satisfying than this. This is what my peace is built on and no matter how turbulent and difficult things get around me, I can rest assured.
God loves you too. The peace comes from understanding the height, width and depth of that Love (Jesus) and accepting it.