Understanding the Peace that Passes Understanding

The word peace displays many facets. Peace ranges from the absence of war and hostility, to personal relational harmony. The spectrum of peace sweeps from a sense of unbroken well-being and contentment, to freedom from disputes and conflict, to the Messianic peace where Christ has reconciled us to God.

But, in a fiery hard, how do we experience peace? We offer genuine sentiment to others to encounter “the peace that passes understanding” as they stand neck deep in trouble. But what do we mean? What does peace feel like when a crisis hits our life and we fall breathless, broken, and devastated? 

We often picture peace as an idyllic, pastoral scene, which does not match the ravaged landscape of our hard. Searching our hearts for feelings of tranquility and contentment, we come up empty. We wonder if God’s peace passed us by.

What peace in our hard is not:

-being plucked from our turmoil and planted in a place high above the storm allowing us to look down on our hardship with a mere shrug.

-an emotion we feel standing contrary to the array of emotions we experience during turmoil.

-a feeling of serenity we stir up within ourselves, and battle to maintain by pushing down fear, swallowing sorrow, numbing ourselves to our trial.

We understand the peace of contentment at the end of the day when our ducks stand in a row, having accomplished multiple tasks, producing a successful day in our labors.

We understand peace from conflict when our children behave well, our family lines up on the same page, and no contention exists with co-workers and friends. 

We understand peace from warfare, when fighting and bombing cease.

But what about peace when our ducks have scattered and everything we do turns upside-down? What about peace when we’re in deep conflict with people we love and relationships tear apart? How in the world can there be peace when bombshells of suffering and loss and sorrow are falling around us, turning our familiar landscape into a demolition zone?

What is peace in our hard? 

Peace is not based on the state of our emotions or how we feel. Peace is based on truth. Truth forms a solid foundation under us. An immovable, trustworthy rock upon which we stand. Or cling. Or collapse. Because, despite our condition, peace from truth remains solid. Holding us. Staying us. 

– The truth God is present in our strife. With us. Emmanuel. “Peace is not the absence of trouble. It is the presence of Christ.” – Sheila Walsh [Let that soak in]

– The truth every promise He has made will come to pass. Every. One. 

 – Knowing every Word God spoke about Himself stands as absolute truth: full of compassion, quick to save, longing to rescue, anxious to heal, our comforter, our redeemer)

These truths are not platitudes we say to each other and repeat to ourselves. We wave these banners in the howling winds of our storm. They are weapons to fight the spiritual and emotional wars we wage in difficult times. Ammunition to strike down lies of the enemy, fear, anxiety, and hopelessness with strength and courage.

The peace of God exists in the midst of dramatic circumstances. In the center of chronic pain. Crushing sorrow. Financial calamity. Heart-wrenching betrayal. We experience these hards and simultaneously experience the peace of God. This makes little sense, challenging our understanding. But that’s the point. That’s why God says “the peace that transcends all understanding”. This peace originates and is sustained by Him. (Philippians 4:7)

Jesus did not by-pass the storms. He faced jaw-dropping betrayal and felt excruciating pain. He bore unimaginable sorrow and horror bearing the sin of the world. Yet, through all this, He knew perfect peace. Because He knew and trusted God His Father.

Peace “is the utter conviction that, whatever happens, God’s hand will never cause his children a needless tear. Things will happen that we cannot understand; but, if we are sure enough of God’s love, we can accept with serenity even those things which wound the heart and baffle the mind.” -William Barclay

Because of what Christ accomplished on the cross, we live in peace with God. Nothing we experience – no sorrow, grief, or storm; no conflict, tragedy, or illness – nothing can take His peace away from us. As life’s hards crash in, we stand on the truth that because we are at peace with God, all things will be made right. His justice will prevail. Eternal life awaits us where we no longer experience sorrow, pain or suffering. Anybody longing to feel the hand of God wiping away your tears?

When we add to this peace of reconciliation to God, the peace Jesus promised to give to us (John 14:27), in the hold of this dynamic duo, we experience the peace that defies understanding. A peace unshakable. A peace holding us in our darkest hours. Abiding deep in us. Allowing us to hold together, make decisions, and pass through the waters without drowning.  We cannot explain the phenomenon outside of the truth of God’s character and promises.

Where these truths intersect, we experience the peace that passes understanding. We know in the depth of our soul that God is sovereign and He is with us. Therefore, we move through our hard with our minds stayed on Jesus, trusting Him, kept in His perfect peace. (Isaiah 26:3)

Photo by Sunguk Kim on Unsplash