Peace That Surpasses All Understanding

Two years ago, I was living what I thought was my best life. I was super involved in my church, my marriage was going well, and I felt like I was walking in my calling. Each day I was putting on the armor of God and going to battle for the kingdom. I was fighting the good fight of faith and loving every minute of it… and then life happened.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, my whole world crumbled to the ground.

Have you ever faced a hard season? Like an Earth shattering, back against the wall, don’t know if I can take one more step season? That is where I was. I realized that my spiritual mentor had used their authority to control, manipulate, and spiritually abuse me. My husband and I were trying to have a baby, but each month there was no positive pregnancy test. Then, my grandparents were in a tragic car accident that led to the death of my grandfather.

And all of a sudden, I was left broken and shattered. I didn’t know where to turn. I couldn’t turn to my mentor, because she was no longer a safe space. I couldn’t reach out to the church, because she went there and what would they say? I couldn’t really even talk to my family because the hurt I was feeling was so raw… it all felt so unsafe.

But I could turn to Jesus. When my life was falling apart, and my heart was shattered and bruised, Jesus carried me. I now look back on the darkest season of my life with a thankful heart, because it is in that place that I finally understood what it means for Jesus to be our Peace.

“And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders, who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrians when they invade our land and march across our borders.” Micah 5:5 NIV

In the season of my life when I was at my weakest point, when the enemy thought that he had won the battle for my heart, Jesus was my peace.

God is our Jehovah Shalom, our God of peace. Life is going to be hard at times. We are going to experience pain… that’s part of a fallen world filled with sinful man. But even in the middle of the pain, God will be our peace.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

The only way to survive hard situations, is to lean into the peace we have in Christ Jesus. We can run to Him with our brokenness, knowing that He is a safe place. When we surrender all that we are to Him even in the hard times, we will have peace that surpasses all understanding and hope for the days to come.