Inner Peace 

   “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” (John 14: 1) 

   I believe that anything that disrupts my inner peace is of Satan.  God’s desire is for me to be at peace in the world even though the world is rarely at peace.  His peace is a grace granted to those who believe.

   There is no question that inner peace is hard to maintain in today’s world.  Wickedness and evils prevail in society and the world, and it seems to be getting worse.  But the woes of this world must not take away the peace that faith and trust in the Lord gives.  We must recognize that we are not of the world and must therefore live in a hostile environment.

   However, this is not to be unexpected.  There has always been frustration and angst in the world.  Maintaining peace within while living in a sinful, corrupt world is difficult at best.  Jesus warned us that this would be so, “’When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.’   Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.’” (Luke 21: 8 – 11).

   In such a world there is only one source of inner peace: our Lord Jesus Christ.  The world hated Jesus and it will hate us as well.  Satan will frustrate and confuse us with His lies and deceptions and our faith may be tested.  But through it all God is with us.  When we reject the ways of the world and look to Him we can retain our peace and look forward with great joy to the world to come.