“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:14)
Peace is not a virus. It’s not something you catch if you’re exposed to the right set of circumstances. It’s something you catch if you chase it down and wrap your hands around it. Peace is real, and God wants you to have it.
The problem is most of us are really lousy peace-hunters. A) We tend to run in the direction of evil. We make selfish choices to do wrong things. We won’t find any peace that way. B) We’re not looking for peace; we’re just hoping it finds us.
“God, please put some peace in my heart. And give me a pony.” God says, “Run toward the peace, and you’ll catch it. Run away from me, and you’ll miss it.” Peace isn’t a toy God gives and takes away. It comes with trusting him enough to obey him and rest in his arms. Run toward him and catch it.
Think: When you can’t find peace, do you ever check your life to see if you’re running toward sin? Do you believe that doing wrong things can keep you from having real peace?
Pray: Ask God to help you to look for peace and to pursue it and to catch it by trusting him and doing good.
Do: Notice this week how sinful choices impact your ability to feel peaceful.