Peace: Our Substitutes for Peace
Dr. Kevin Huggins paints a picture of our peace-hungry hearts having two tanks – our emotional tank and our distress tank. Our natural bent is to work to fill the emotional tank and empty the distress tank. He notes that the primary strategies we use to achieve this are people and pleasure, neither of which is capable of providing the lasting peace we need.
In a message he once gave, a pastor friend of mine shared about a mother whose young son died a tragic and untimely death. After the funeral, many guests praised her deep faith and trust in God, noting, “She never shed a tear, even at her own son’s funeral.” In truth, she was deathly afraid of facing the darkness and pain. This is not faith (or peace); it is fear.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Isaiah 55:1-3
Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
John 5:39
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
Questions for Reflection:
- What are the strategies you find yourself using in your search for peace?
- Healthy: (exercise, solitude, etc.)
- Unhealthy: (substances, avoidance, etc.)
- How might religion/legalism be used negatively in the pursuit of peace?
- How have these strategies worked or not worked for you?
- What do you think God might be saying to you and desiring from you in your pursuit of peace?
