Peace
 
"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand." (Philippians 4:6-7)

As I looked over the list of all devotional topics today I decided to write on peace hoping that as I research the topic and pray for the wisdom to write, somehow the process will minister to me in the face of all my daily struggles.  I struggle with the consequences of choices made when I in a search for peace in material possession.  I struggle with the desire to find peace in a world that surrounds me with chaos.  Most of all I struggle to rest in the peace provided in my faith in my God.  For, He is my peace.  (Ephesians 2:14)

I know that those of us who attempt to live our lives by faith; it provides guidelines and admonitions that once implemented produce peace.  This is easier said than done.  We pray, we worship and we make our faith the essence of our lives, yet problems never cease to exist.  Today, I struggle with finding peace to write as I watch my wife struggle with cash flow issues in the company that supports me to be in ministry.  In essence, at a time like this, it seems almost impossible to find peace when circumstances beyond my control make meeting an obligation and responsibility for thousands of dollars in payroll appear out of reach.

Our struggles in the workplace are all relevant.  So how do we find peace when there seems to be none in sight?  To me is almost the same a playing Monday morning quarterback.  I look back through my life and meditate on all the numerous times when I felt a sense of desperation at what seemed like an insurmountable challenge, nonetheless my faith in my God whom had not ever abandoned me would be present and I would overcome and go on to live another day.

My human mind cannot understand how it all works, nor can it understand why it always seems as if my God takes me to that last second; nonetheless He always comes through.  Yet even when it seems that there is no hope and we fail to see any light at the end of the tunnel He provides a peace that is tangible.  The greatest evidence of this peace was manifested the day I buried my father.  I could not conceive how I would ever be able to go through life without him, yet the day I buried him I had a peace I never experienced before that assured me that all would be all right and that we would be reunited again.   

The peace the temporal world provides never lasts, and is in a constant flux.  Many factors may influence it: the economy, our intelligence, or at times our manipulative abilities.  Yet, God's peace that surmounts all understanding is only dependant on our dependency on Him.  God's peace is not affected by the economy or me.  It is dependant on my confessing my needs and my frailties and believing that He Who has brought me this far will never abandon me: He will continue to do what He has promised.

May I believe that He Who promised is capable of fulfilling that promise.

Meditation:  How often do you reflect on what God has done for you?  Is your peace dependant on Him or you?

Jorge L. Valdes, Ph.D.

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