Is peace possible?

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  2 Corinthians 12:7-9 NIV

For large portions of my life, I would have defined peace as the absence of conflict.  A younger version of me thought you had to solve all or most of your issues – and then have peace.  I have since learned otherwise. 

I have prayed many times for God to remove something from my life or for Him to add something I see as a solution.  But when I think about it, if God removes struggle upon request, my prayers would focus on requests.  Anyone can have peace if God clears a nice smooth path into the future.  True peace is found in the midst of storms. 

Rather than remove any source of conflict or struggle, what if God allows us to have some struggle because it will cause us to look toward Him.  What if instead of simply “allowing” struggle God actually caused the very thing we struggle with? 

Years ago I heard a sermon from Bishop Larry Jackson in which he talked about the fact that everyone correctly assumes that God has a plan for us.  However, if you are a believer and think that Satan does not also have a plan for you, you are mistaken.  Evil would kill me if it had the chance. 

I believe that spiritual battle is real.  I believe that Satan has many schemes designed to hurt me.  If I have a struggle in my life, God saw it coming and allowed it because it fit into His will.  If it is against God’s will, not one arrow Satan shoots at me will reach me because God is the more powerful being, by far. There is not one instant in eternity where God is less powerful than Satan.  If you have a daughter who died in a car accident that can be a struggle to navigate.

We are approaching a date that we have dreaded.  Later this year we will wake up to the day when our daughter Jordyn has been gone longer than she was here.  I don’t hate very many things, but I literally hate that last sentence. 

It has been hard.  It has been painful.  It has also been beautiful.  In spite of it, we have found it possible to find peace.  The example I use would be comparing the pursuit of peace to the simple act of going for a ride out in the country.  You have the radio up listening and then you hear static, then you may hear silence and as you come up a hill you get your favorite song again. 

To me, that is a good description of peace.  On my journey through life, I can sometimes find peace easily.  At times, I get more static than peace and at times I cannot find peace.  I have learned that when this happens – I am the one who moved. 

The radio station sending out a signal does not move.  The signal is not turned off but once in a while I cannot hear it.  I have to move to get back in position to hear it again.  The power of God does not vary.  His location does not vary.  Only I vary. 

In our walk through this life we will meet people who exude peace.  People like that are hard to find sometimes, but when you find someone who reminds you of peace, you should probably spend more time with them.  Better yet, we should try to be the person who helps others find peace.  You do not have to have all the answers.  Some of the questions we have in this life simply have no answer here.

What is your most consistent struggle?  Have you ever had someone notice your peace and ask you about it?  Without the presence of struggle, no one can see the presence of peace in you.

Do you typically find yourself asking God to “fix” something?

Challenge:  Change the way we pray.  If I always ask God to remove an issue He becomes a vending machine.  But if I ask God to give me the grace to deal with the very same issue, I have already plotted a better course.  If my pursuit of peace is aimed at God instead of a clear, obstacle free journey, my peace will be easier to find and easier to help others possibly find their very own peace.  It is possible.