What comes to mind when you think about peace? For some, the thought of peace may depict an image of seclusion, on a remote island. Some might imagine a quiet afternoon at home. Others may imagine laying on a beach, surrounded by food & drinks, either alone, or with loved ones. The commonality between all these scenarios is the absence of chaos or tribulation. Even if your ideal situation of peace isn’t listed above, I’m certain that the previous statement still holds true. In your ideal situation of peace, there is no chaos, no trouble, nothing that throws you off balance.

The Oxford dictionary defines Peace as “freedom from disturbance”; and also as “a state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended”.

Over time, we have come to conflate peace with the absence of chaos, but may I propose otherwise? Jesus tells us we will face tribulations in the world (John 16:33). Yet, we are also told, multiple times in the scriptures, that we will have peace. Not only multiples across scripture but also in that same verse which tells us we will have trials; John 16:33 (NLT). 

In the verse, Jesus says “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrow. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

How can we have peace and yet have trials and sorrow? It sounds like a contradiction, as the two do not coincide. That’s simply because peace is not the absence of chaos, but the presence of God.

God is the perfect definition of peace. When you carefully read the scripture above, Jesus says “…you may have peace IN ME”. That means, our peace isn’t defined by external factors and forces, nor is it defined by tranquillity in our environment. Peace is the presence of God. Peace is IN God. No matter where you are.

While physically on earth, Jesus was in the midst of a few trials and uncomfortable situations. Despite this, you would agree that He was never captivated by fear or overwhelmed by the circumstances He came across. In Mark 4:35-41, we see a story of Jesus alongside the disciples travelling on a boat. Suddenly, a “fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water”. Now, this situation definitely doesn’t sound peaceful by any standard. But guess what Jesus was doing in the midst of this chaotic situation? He was asleep. I don’t know about you, but it’s impossible to sleep through such chaos, so how could He do it? He was at peace. That’s how.

Another similar story is that of Paul, traveling by boat with many others (Acts 27); when they encountered troubles along the way, Paul assured them that no one will lose their life or be harmed, despite the fact that they would be shipwrecked. Paul was at peace, not because of the situation he was in, but because he knew God was with him and he put his trust in God. The presence of God, which he was assured of, was what kept him in peace.

In the same way, the truest form of peace we can experience in our lives today is not in the absence of chaos, but rather, in the presence of God. When we face trials, sorrow and tribulation in life, we must hold steadfast to our source of peace, which is He who is within us.

How do we do this? Isiah 26:3 (NLT) says “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you”. This, amongst a plethora of other scriptures, reminds us that as long as we fix our thoughts on God, then we will be kept in perfect peace.  We will not experience this peace temporarily, but we will be kept there, meaning, we will experience it daily. 

The prerequisite of experiencing this peace every day is keeping your mind on God and trusting in Him. We do that by reading His Word and keeping that Word in our hearts. By doing this, perfect peace will always dwell within us. So then, our peace will be determined by that which comes from within and not the situations we are in.

The most beautiful part about this truth is that no matter the situation we find ourselves in, we will always have peace. In circumstances where others fret or become overwhelmed with fear, you will have peace, as long as your thoughts and mind are on God.

So, remember, to experience genuine peace every day, keep your thoughts on God and His Word, and trust Him in all that you do.