Welcome to a new series – Peace in Every Place! If you are in a season when peace feels a bit distant, I hope this encourages you. We all go through tough times. So hold on and know this too shall pass. If this series encourages you, be sure to leave a comment or shoot me an email! I am praying for you!

Peace in Every Place

We all know that feeling of facing circumstances that cannot be predicted. It’s the waiting periods of life that make us evaluate our faith and question our motives.

Have you been there?

You want to know the next step. You desire clarity for the road ahead, but looming between what you desire and reality, is a huge cavern of unpredictable possibilities.

In these seasons of unknowns we have a choice to make. We can choose to step out in faith remembering everything we know to be true and right, or we can stay stagnant wondering what might happen if we don’t move a muscle.

After the paralyzation wears off, and we face reality, we realize we are in the same place we started, only now time has taken laps around us and we still face the same choice.

So what will it be?

Will you stay paralyzed waiting for something to change or will you take the next step even though the road ahead is unclear?

Maybe we don’t move forward because we don’t know which way to go. God reminds us in His Word:

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)

If we take this for what it is, this means God literally gives us direction in life. Whether we feel ready or not, whether we see the road ahead or not, and whether we tremble with fear of the unknowns and unpredictables, we are to step out and trust God at His Word.

Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Psalm 119:133 (KJV)

How do we live in peace during seasons when it feels like we can’t move or don’t know which way to go?

Many times peace is portrayed as something you receive when you sit indian style, lift your hands at a fourty-five degree angle and exhale all the negative thoughts. Although this might bring good vibes into your body and make you feel a bit relaxed, it does not bring the peace you and I are seeking when we look ahead at an unknown future.

Peace, real peace comes in the form a person named Jesus.

Until we grasp the reality of peace in His presence, we will constantly live in paralyzed, frustrated seasons seeking peace in all the wrong places.

I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow or the day after that, but I do know who is with me today. That alone gives me peace even when my world seems upside down.

If you are seeking peace in the right place, you will find the person of Jesus to be everything you need. I know it sounds so trite when we say, “Just trust God.” But don’t we know He is the answer? Do we truly believe it? Or do we know the right words and live in fear because of the circumstances that loom overhead?

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (ESV)

As we walk through this series of finding peace in the unknown seasons of life, I hope you will grasp the real peace we are all after. It’s not a vibe, a day without trouble, or a week when things go just right.

Peace is living surrendered in the presence of Jesus everyday no matter what comes your way.

I don’t know the unknowns you face right now, but I know this – Jesus is more powerful than the worst thing you will ever face.

We must stop looking at the things we don’t understand and fix our gaze on the unchangeable power of God. That’s where I find peace.

What about you?

If you struggle to see peace in your life because your problems are just that big, try these simple things this week:

1. Pray first thing in the morning. Before you pull back the covers and make your way to the restroom, talk to God. Give Him your unknowns and fears before you face anything else. There’s something that changes us when we think about God first and not about our problems.

2. As soon as worry or anxiety begins to creep into your thoughts throughout the day, claim a verse from the Bible that encourages your heart and combats the enemy. If you aren’t sure of a verse to claim, try this one: The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 (ESV)

3. If you cannot change what is happening, do not let it change you for the worst. God knows the fears you have of what might happen. God knows the anxiety that sits heavy in the depths of your soul as the trial lingers on longer and longer. Those trials, and all the things we cannot change often change us. Don’t let them make you worse, let them transform you into something better, stronger, and wiser. Too often we let the problems of this world rock us until we end up in the fetal position afraid to move. It’s time to stand up and claim the peace of God.

4. If you can change it, make the change. If you know your chaos is self inflicted, it’s time to peel back the pride and make the necessary changes. It might mean saying no to something you love, or slowing down when the world says run faster. But whatever it is, you know. Just do it. Change brings peace in the chaos.

5. Don’t stop praying! It’s so easy to go throughout our lives and think we are people of prayer, but never actually pray. Take the time. Focus your heart on God. Pray and let God know how much you love Him throughout the day. There’s something powerful about giving God praise through prayer. It’s not a “I need this and I need it now” prayer of peace. It’s an “I love you and I am in your presence” prayer of peace.

That’s where I’m learning to lean when I pray. Leaning into the person of peace brings me peace faster than begging for my selfish list of must haves.

He knows what I need better than I do, yet so often I find myself rattling off my deepest desires begging for something I think I want. I’m learning to say, “Your way, your will, your time, your purpose, your season.” It’s not an easy lesson. It’s painful in the simplest of terms, but it’s beautiful. Peace comes when I pray this way. And I know you can experience the same peace.

It looks something like this:

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for loving me so much that you sent your Son for my sins and the sins of whole world. Your love amazes me. Your presence fills me. You are worthy of all my attention and my love. I am seeking you and looking to you in this season. I know you understand my pain. I know you see the struggle. You are enough for me. I trust you.

In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

Love & Blessings,

Micah

If you know someone who needs a little more peace in their lives, pass this on and let them be encouraged too!