3 Ways to Find God’s Peace

3 Methods to Gain Peace

1. Read every Bible verse you can about “the peace which the world cannot give”.
2. Immediately kneel and pray, even while crying. God will swoop over you and help, stat.
3. Take a walk in nature if that is possible. God wants to help us. He loves us with an everlasting love– more than we love our family, our best friends and our own children!

The Absence of Peace and Its Manifestation

I struggle with general anxiety and perfectionism. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=anxiety+symptoms&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 I am often extremely hard on myself. My stress overload results in headaches and digestive problems. (I won’t elaborate on those-ew)! I try deep breathing and progressive relaxation https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/muscle-relaxation-for-stress-insomniato alleviate my mild panic attacks, but these only work sometimes.

I am on a peace quest. It is mostly elusive and conditional. If my chores are all done, if my work is all caught up, if my husband and I are in good moods, if no one is mad at me over some misunderstanding, if our three daughters are all happy/healthy, and if my family of origin is serene, then and only then do I have peace. Circumstantial peace. How often are all these criteria in place? Rarely. So, what do I do?

Number 1-Grab Your Bible and Hold on Tightly

“I have told you these things so that in Me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+16%3A33&version=NIV

I have found that an acceptance of almost constant, earthly troubles, helps me profoundly. We recently went on a camping trip to Virginia. I knew we’d probably endure some mishaps, and sure enough, we did. We lost a vital piece of our trailer hitch and got a flat tire. The campground grassy area was not mowed, and I tweezed three ticks off myself, so today I’ll get prophylactic antibiotics. I’d prefer not to contract Lyme Disease, thank you very much!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself, give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” 2 Thess. 3:16 https://versebyversecommentary.com/1999/11/24/2-thessalonians-316/#:~:text=God%20wants%20to%20give%20us,church%2C%20we%20should%20do%20it.&text=Paul%20does%20not%20infer%20that,Lord%20is%20not%20with%20us.

I try to meditate on the constancy of the Lord’s peace. It is ours for the taking! It is a vapor right in front of us! If I could only believe. Aaah, but I do not. I pray and give my stressors to God, then I take them back and panic all over again. Jesus wants us to put these things with Him on His cross. He wants to keep them. I strive to understand and practice this. If we can relinquish our own frustrations and catastrophes back to the Source of all help and peace, we can be happier and healthier. In fact, anxiety can cause autoimmune disorders! https://functionalmedsystem.com/en/2021/02/anxiety-autoimmune-diseases-is-there-a-connection/#:~:text=According%20to%20researchers%2C%20“neuroendocrine”,pathophysiology%20of%20an%20autoimmune%20disease.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3https://radical.net/podcasts/pray-the-word/perfect-peace-isaiah-263-4/#:~:text=Isaiah%2026%3A3–4%20Reminds,Can%20Find%20Peace%20In%20God&text=I%20mean%2C%20we%20could%20go,He%20is%20an%20everlasting%20rock.

I often think of Peter walking on the water toward Jesus. As soon as he doubted, he sunk! I am a huge doubter! I often sink. Ugh. Meditating on “Be still and know that I am God” helps me to just stop my ruminating, and let go and let God.

After all, who is sovereign? Not me. Who is omnipotent? Not me. God’s ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. Who am I to argue with God’s almighty and perfect plans for me– His lessons I need to learn? I have a long way to go in hanging on to peace, no matter what my circumstances. Progress not perfection –I’m definitely better at this than I used to be, and for now, I must know that it is enough.

Kneel and Pray, With Tear-Stained Cheeks

I have noticed that every single time I have knelt and prayed, compelling things come to me. I suspect that the Lord likes when we make the effort to kneel to His power, in total humility. We are communicating to Him that we accept that His plans and His purposes will prevail. We are also keeping in touch with the best friend we will ever have.

Get In Nature-ASAP!

The term is grounding. Go barefoot on your lawn, (not in long grasses where there may be ticks-lol), and this connects your body to the created universe, thereby helping calm you.https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding

The very second I leave my work briefly and take a step outside, I notice an intense joy accompanied by a drop in my blood pressure. I look at all the flowers blooming and the Spanish Moss hanging loosely from the tree boughs, and suddenly I am blissful. I am totally content in the present moment. I highly recommend this practice! I talk to God and maybe even choke up a bit about the problems I’m having which don’t seem to have any forthcoming solutions. Even if left unfixed, these problems become more diminutive when I’ve had my outdoors Creator-chat.

 Practice These 3 Ways To Find Peace!

The heart rate quickens. Quivering ensues. Pain behind the eyes announces the coming headache. Stomach gets queasy. Feelings of being trapped and powerless are all-consuming. But now we know what to do.

First, hug your Bible to your chest. Look up all verses about peace on your phone and read them. Maybe even place your Bible onto your head, to absorb the verses through osmosis!

Second, kneel and converse with the Almighty. He has all the answers, WAY better than ours.

Third, a stroll through nature –even if you only have a few minutes.

I guarantee that even if your troubles don’t disappear, they will be made better. There is never any unhappiness too great to be lessened by God.