“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, ESV)
The Apostle Paul, who wrote the scripture above, went through some harrowing and nerve-wracking times in his life. He was blinded on the road to Damascus. He was stoned at Lystra. 2 Corinthians 11 adds that Paul was beaten three times with rods, shipwrecked, whipped, hungry, in peril, and more. Despite all this suffering, Paul wrote the Thessalonian church the words written above. He taught them that the “Lord of peace” desires to “give you peace at all times in every way” (2 Thessalonians 3:16). With these words, Paul was conveying to his fellow Christians in Thessalonica that the Lord God seeks to bring peace into your life. The world may shake you up, threaten your life, addle your mind with illness, and more. Still, the Lord offers you peace “at all times in every way”. The Lord can bring peace to a suffering day, a difficult time, a weary soul, a tortured follower. All you have to do is ask for it!
So often, we let external factors determine our peace. If Paul would have let external perils and threats determine if he had peace in his mind, heart, and soul, he would never have felt God’s peace. Instead, he not only felt it but urged others to seek it. If you let your circumstances and the external factors of everyday life determine your mood, your emotions, your peace; you will never find God’s peace. It will elude you. Your soul will feel adrift on a sea of troubles. Your mind will be filled with anxiety and worry over what might happen next. Your body will tense up. Worry lines will appear on your forehead. Your hormones will switch to “fight or flight” mode. Then, you will feel no peace from the Lord. Will you learn to ask for the Lord’s peace? Will you let go of the pressures and pains of everyday life in order to put your full trust in the strength of God? If not, God’s peace will not be present.
The hospital chaplain went up to the floor set apart for surgeries. He often started his day visiting this floor, knowing that the people on the floor were either going to surgery or returning from surgery. It just so happened that two of the rooms on that floor contained a person with the same last name of Harbaugh. The chaplain was intrigued. He went into the room of the first woman with the last name of Harbaugh. She was ill at ease. Her nervousness filled the space of that room. When the chaplain offered her a warm “Good Morning!”, she immediately asked, “Who are you and why are you here?” When the chaplain introduced himself, the woman gave her name as Janette. As the two talked, Janette shared that she had been in an accident the day before. She was bloodied and bruised. Janette gave an account of the accident and all her injuries. She nervously talked about the upcoming surgery to repair her broken leg. She expressed remorse at getting into her sister’s car the day before.
After ten minutes of listening to Janette, the chaplain asked if her sister was also in the hospital. Janette replied that she too sustained injuries requiring surgery. Then, Janette went on to expound on the anger she felt at the drunken motorist who hit them, prattling on and on about how she didn’t deserve this suffering. Seeking to keep the visit shorter, the chaplain offered to pray with Janette, but she replied that she was far too upset to pray. With a warm touch to her shoulder, the chaplain left to go see Janette’s sister.
Three doors down on the same floor was Janette’s sister. Upon entering her room, the chaplain again smiled and offered a cheery, “Good Morning!”. Lying in her bed, Janette’s sister looked horribly banged up. Her face was full of black and blue bruises. Her left eye was half closed with inflammation. Still, Janette’s sister tried to smile. Then, she reached out her hands and said, “Good morning to you as well! I’m Felicia! Are you one of my doctors?” The chaplain introduced himself as he took Felicia’s hand. Then, Felicia surprised the chaplain. She began to say how it was a blessing that she and her sister had survived the accident. Felicia went on to explain her desire that her sister and the other driver would be alright. Felicia shared that she felt very hopeful about her surgery’s outcome but replied, “I just feel God has me in His hands. I’m where I need to be. Can we pray for healing for all involved in the accident?”
The day after the surgery, the chaplain visited Janette and Felicia. Again, he found Janette was anxious about the surgery and upset about the huge interruption the accident caused to her plans. Felicia was the opposite. She was thankful for the surgeons and said to the chaplain, “I so enjoyed our prayer yesterday! I felt God’s healing as you prayed. Despite the surgery, I felt God’s peace surrounding me all day! Can we pray again?”
Two sisters, Janette and Felicia, were raised in the same home. They grew up together. They lived in the same town and attended the same church. However, their response to the accident and emergency surgeries was completely different. Janette was too upset and anxious to pray. Felicia couldn’t wait to pray more! Janette’s anger at the inconvenience of it all caused her to be upset all the while she was in the hospital. Her demeanor oozed pain and worry. Her room felt uncomfortable to the chaplain. Felicia was at peace and filled with teeming hope. She was excited to pray for all involved. Her room seemed warm and inviting. Where Janette let external factors shake up her world, Felicia had a joyful peace about her. The difference in the two women and their rooms was night and day.
So often, we let the events of the day adjust our moods. We let external factors bear on our emotions. The Apostle Paul saw this kind of living as backward. He believed that the Lord would bring peace “at all times and in every way”, even in stressful moments, even when accidents happened, even in the midst of suffering.
Today, let go of any emotion or fear or insecurity that might seek to control your thoughts. Put your whole faith and trust in the God who seeks to bless your day. Let God’s peace fill your heart. If God’s peace is present, it will show in your actions and even in the place you inhabit. When God’s peace is present in you, an aura of that peace is present all around you. It shows. It grows. It changes your perspective. It brings healing. It brings hope. It’s wonderful! It’s beautiful!
So often, we let external factors determine our peace. If Paul would have let external perils and threats determine if he had peace in his mind, heart, and soul, he would never have felt God’s peace. Instead, he not only felt it but urged others to seek it. If you let your circumstances and the external factors of everyday life determine your mood, your emotions, your peace; you will never find God’s peace. It will elude you. Your soul will feel adrift on a sea of troubles. Your mind will be filled with anxiety and worry over what might happen next. Your body will tense up. Worry lines will appear on your forehead. Your hormones will switch to “fight or flight” mode. Then, you will feel no peace from the Lord. Will you learn to ask for the Lord’s peace? Will you let go of the pressures and pains of everyday life in order to put your full trust in the strength of God? If not, God’s peace will not be present.
The hospital chaplain went up to the floor set apart for surgeries. He often started his day visiting this floor, knowing that the people on the floor were either going to surgery or returning from surgery. It just so happened that two of the rooms on that floor contained a person with the same last name of Harbaugh. The chaplain was intrigued. He went into the room of the first woman with the last name of Harbaugh. She was ill at ease. Her nervousness filled the space of that room. When the chaplain offered her a warm “Good Morning!”, she immediately asked, “Who are you and why are you here?” When the chaplain introduced himself, the woman gave her name as Janette. As the two talked, Janette shared that she had been in an accident the day before. She was bloodied and bruised. Janette gave an account of the accident and all her injuries. She nervously talked about the upcoming surgery to repair her broken leg. She expressed remorse at getting into her sister’s car the day before.
After ten minutes of listening to Janette, the chaplain asked if her sister was also in the hospital. Janette replied that she too sustained injuries requiring surgery. Then, Janette went on to expound on the anger she felt at the drunken motorist who hit them, prattling on and on about how she didn’t deserve this suffering. Seeking to keep the visit shorter, the chaplain offered to pray with Janette, but she replied that she was far too upset to pray. With a warm touch to her shoulder, the chaplain left to go see Janette’s sister.
Three doors down on the same floor was Janette’s sister. Upon entering her room, the chaplain again smiled and offered a cheery, “Good Morning!”. Lying in her bed, Janette’s sister looked horribly banged up. Her face was full of black and blue bruises. Her left eye was half closed with inflammation. Still, Janette’s sister tried to smile. Then, she reached out her hands and said, “Good morning to you as well! I’m Felicia! Are you one of my doctors?” The chaplain introduced himself as he took Felicia’s hand. Then, Felicia surprised the chaplain. She began to say how it was a blessing that she and her sister had survived the accident. Felicia went on to explain her desire that her sister and the other driver would be alright. Felicia shared that she felt very hopeful about her surgery’s outcome but replied, “I just feel God has me in His hands. I’m where I need to be. Can we pray for healing for all involved in the accident?”
The day after the surgery, the chaplain visited Janette and Felicia. Again, he found Janette was anxious about the surgery and upset about the huge interruption the accident caused to her plans. Felicia was the opposite. She was thankful for the surgeons and said to the chaplain, “I so enjoyed our prayer yesterday! I felt God’s healing as you prayed. Despite the surgery, I felt God’s peace surrounding me all day! Can we pray again?”
Two sisters, Janette and Felicia, were raised in the same home. They grew up together. They lived in the same town and attended the same church. However, their response to the accident and emergency surgeries was completely different. Janette was too upset and anxious to pray. Felicia couldn’t wait to pray more! Janette’s anger at the inconvenience of it all caused her to be upset all the while she was in the hospital. Her demeanor oozed pain and worry. Her room felt uncomfortable to the chaplain. Felicia was at peace and filled with teeming hope. She was excited to pray for all involved. Her room seemed warm and inviting. Where Janette let external factors shake up her world, Felicia had a joyful peace about her. The difference in the two women and their rooms was night and day.
So often, we let the events of the day adjust our moods. We let external factors bear on our emotions. The Apostle Paul saw this kind of living as backward. He believed that the Lord would bring peace “at all times and in every way”, even in stressful moments, even when accidents happened, even in the midst of suffering.
Today, let go of any emotion or fear or insecurity that might seek to control your thoughts. Put your whole faith and trust in the God who seeks to bless your day. Let God’s peace fill your heart. If God’s peace is present, it will show in your actions and even in the place you inhabit. When God’s peace is present in you, an aura of that peace is present all around you. It shows. It grows. It changes your perspective. It brings healing. It brings hope. It’s wonderful! It’s beautiful!