A Peace Beyond Measure
Photo by Keegan Houser on Unsplash
The stress in our lives
We all experience stress in our lives at certain points and in various ways. I’ve known stressful times in ways too numerous to list. That’s likely true for you as well.
Worrying about how to pay bills has certainly caused me stress. A few times, I’ve feared for my life or the well-being of loved ones. Having too many things to do in too little time is another common source of stress for many of us.
Stress—continuous and sustained—is unhealthy. This is well-documented and verified through life experience. Unhealthy stress can be emotional, mental, or physical—sometimes it’s all three at once. Stress can be self-induced but can also be beyond a person’s control.
People in war-torn nations and refugees seeking safety from war and oppression are in situations way beyond their control. Still, they look for ways to create a sense of normality and safety in whatever way they can.
Those of us in less desperate conditions may have a lot more freedom and opportunity to exert control over stress in our lives. Yet, too often we add stress rather than lessen it. This is unnecessary stress we choose to live under daily—often by default.
Some common advice today is to—focus on what you can control, not on what you can’t control. Gifted athletes and business leaders alike echo this. If only it were that easy!
Perhaps there’s a better way. A way that leads to peace beyond what we can measure.
Scripture
By mercy and faithfulness, peace is made with the Lord.
By the fear of the Lord, evil is avoided.
When a person’s ways are pleasing to the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. (Proverbs 16:6-7 GW)
(Context—Proverbs 16:1-15 GW)
Simple Insights
Think about what causes stress in your life. Now, consider how things might be different without certain stresses and what that would mean for you.
What do you have control over? What can you do about it? Even when we focus on what we can control, it’s usually external things—what we do with our time, how we do our work, who we spend time with, and so on.
But we can’t relieve all unhealthy stress by changing things outside of us. Why? Because we often bring unhealthy stress upon ourselves. This is where we need to consider what we worry about and why we worry.
What if unhealthy stress can be relieved in a simpler and better way? Think of an internal focus rather than an external one. Think surrender rather than control. Yes, surrender.
When everything depends on us—our ability, our strength, our efforts—it’s a never-ending strain that produces and adds its own stress.
When we trust in the Lord—the way a young child trusts her parents—we learn to surrender and submit our worries and concerns to the Lord. This reduces our stress.
But how do we go about this in everyday life and within environments and situations where we are not in control? It may seem counterintuitive, but the fear of the Lord is key to finding immeasurable peace. It’s also the key to avoiding the fears and evil of others.
Many believers misunderstand the fear of the Lord, as I’ve shared before. In his book, Recovering Our Sanity: How the Fear of God Conquers the Fears that Divide Us, Michael Horton makes an interesting declaration—“we worship what we fear.” By this, he means we exalt other fears as supreme in our life when we make them greater than God.
Here’s the best part about the fear of the Lord—God will extend His peace in our life, so even those who seem to be enemies will be at peace with us.
We can choose how we respond rather than react to situations and people we encounter. When our tendency is to be judgmental and harsh, we can extend mercy instead. Then we can remain faithful when dealing with inequity and unfairness.
We can choose to be peacemakers. When we choose to make peace, God extends peace to us. Likewise, when we choose the path of godly fear and integrity, we’ll avoid the evil others encounter.
This produces a peace and way of life guaranteed to reduce stress!
Reflection—
We can choose how we respond rather than react and choose the path of godly fear and integrity instead of fearing what others fear. As we extend mercy and peace to others, we’ll experience God’s peace and freedom from all unnecessary stress in our life.
Prayer Focus—
Begin each day in surrender to the Lord, asking Him to help you show mercy to others and for strength to be faithful in the midst of difficult and unfaithful times. Pursue peace with God and ask for His wisdom to navigate each day.
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