Pursuing Peace, Part 2

 First, I want to thank all of you who commented on the first "Pursuing Peace" post. Annie, your comment was so wonderful and helpful to me! So much honesty and wisdom in your words. Thank you!

I've spent some time studying Scripture to discover the answer to these two questions: 1) What emotions/internal effects will I experience from reading Scripture? and 2) What does the Bible say about how I can obtain internal peace?

For the first answer, I turned to Psalm 119, the premier passage about God's Word and what it does to God's child. It was a fascinating study! Here's a list of the primary emotional effects that Scripture had on David:

1. delight/joy

2. avoidance of sin/purity

3. revive his fainting soul/sustain him

4. thankfulness

5. meditation

6. longing/desire for God's Word

7. understanding/wisdom

8. fear/reverence of God

9.freedom/liberty

10. comfort

I probably missed a few, but that's the basic list. Annie added an important verse from Psalm 119: "Those who love Thy law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble." (119:165) So peace can be a result of loving God's Word. That's important to remember! I need to remember, however, that this verse does NOT say that peace comes from studying God's Word, which is what I tend to do. I love to study it, pick it apart, find connections, treat it like a piece of fascinating, wonderful literature. The love David has for Scripture is not a pedantic thing; he loves it because it reveals God's heart.

I found many other passages helpful in my search for spiritual peace, but none more than Philippians 4. (I'll put the other verses at the bottom of this post, for anybody who's interested.) Paul is addressing church conflict in Phil. 4 -- two women who are fussing with each other, Euodia and Syntyche. He urges them to live harmoniously. (Their names mean sweet-smelling and common goals. Haha!)

In verse 4, Paul tells his friends to be joyful. Then he reminds them to be gentle with everyone. Next he instructs them not to be fearful, "Don't be anxious." To avoid anxiety, they are to pray, asking God and thanking Him. And then ... peace comes as a gift of God, in inexplicable gift that's hard to put one's finger on. It's not something we drum up ourselves, not something we obtain with effort. It's God's work.

I don't know that this is some guaranteed recipe for peace, every time. But it's certainly good practice, and an excellent place to start. Perhaps the hardest step is the beginning: Be joyful! That's very hard when you're anxious and have no peace. I think Paul gives us a clue to being more joyful; what are we filling our minds with? I've always loved verse 8. It's gently convicting about what I expose myself to: is it true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, reputable, excellent, praise-worthy? 

If I fill my mind with things that are lies, wrong, impure, ugly, disreputable, awful, worthy of derision, then I can expect a troubled spirit. My lack of peace is a choice when I expose myself to such things. I think I should stop reading the news.

It's clear Paul is trying to get these Philippians to find inner peace. They're struggling. "Let your mind dwell on these [good] things." "Practice these things, and the God of peace shall be with you." (9)

It's no wonder that we feel more peaceful when we walk in beautiful nature that God created. Or perhaps we feel peace when we go to worship on Sunday and arrive early to sit in the sanctuary and pray. Or when we remember to thank God for the list of good things He's given us. 

A joyful attitude, a gentle disposition, praying instead of fear, and daily asking God for His peace -- all of these are challenges for me. 

Additional passages: Luke 8:48, Rom. 5:1, John 14:27, Gal. 5:22, Ps. 29:11, Isa. 26: 3, II Tim. 2:22