Can I Feel Peace Even in Chaos? [Episode 136]

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A few years ago, I was speaking in Seattle at one of my Fresh Grounded Faith conferences. Phil and I went a day early to visit the original Starbucks in Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Sister, if you’ve been listening to the 4:13 Podcast for a while, you know I am such a coffee junkie. What you might not know, though, is that Starbucks was my very first cup of coffee many, many years ago. So, I’m sort of wildly loyal to their hot, black, liquid stream of transcendence.

God’s peace comes during the chaos, and it steadies you. [Click to Tweet]

Phil and I took our cups of liquid bliss to a green patch of grass right by the market. We sat down, and Phil pulled out the cinnamon cardamom braids we’d also bought. I took one delicious bite and felt something hard. I pulled the pastry from my mouth and realized that part of my tooth went right along with it.

But not just any tooth. My front tooth!

What followed was me freaking out. All I could think about was how bad it felt, how bad it must have looked, and how in the world I was going to speak the next day at Fresh Grounded Faith?!

You can have peace even in chaos because peace is more than a feeling. [Click to Tweet]

Panic is often a first response when we are freaked out. While you may not have lost your front tooth as I did, maybe it’s been an alarming diagnosis, an emergency, or even a bad day that’s caused chaos to overwhelm you and peace to abandon you. But, you can have peace even in chaos because peace is more than a feeling.

In today’s episode of the 4:13 Podcast, you’ll learn how you can feel peace even in chaos. Plus, I’ll give you five unchangeable facts about peace that will make you breathe a little easier, smile a little bigger, and rest a bit more soundly tonight.

5 Unchangeable Facts About Peace

  1. The Lord blesses us with His peace. Psalm 29:11 says, “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.” Friend, this is one of those “breathe in, breathe out” verses! After you panic, you can take your racing heart to God in prayer. When you do, He replaces that panic with peace. Peace is God’s blessing for you.

    Peace is that settled feeling. It’s like the bling on your iPhone case or the sprinkles on a cupcake. It’s that extra something that makes you smile. Peace is a blessing because it often feels like a surprise party. Just when life is crumby, the music starts, a friend shows up, and peace is a blessing that settles us. It is just one more way God blesses you because He loves you.

    So, don’t rob yourself of the blessing God wants to give you because you think panic is a better companion. It isn’t. God blesses you with peace, so receive that blessing.

  2. When we trust God, our minds are steady, and we have peace. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” When I flew into a panic over my broken tooth, it didn’t result in sound thinking. It was only when I shifted from panic mode into prayer mode that my perspective changed, and my trust factor took over. We can’t have peace from God without trust in God.

    When we trust Him, our thoughts become stable. Our mind is steady, and we have wisdom. Who doesn’t want to be stable and steadfast and in perfect peace in this imperfect world? I do. You do. So, keep trusting Him, and He will keep you in perfect peace.

  3. In Jesus’ words, we find peace. In John 16:33, Jesus says, “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.” The comforting words of Christ bring us peace. They guide us and guard us. They make us secure and wise. We have peace when we listen to the voice of Jesus.

    What if you could hear a comforting, steadying voice when you feel fear or panic? What if you could hear a soothing voice telling you, “It’s okay, you can calm down.” Better yet, what if that voice was the voice of Jesus? Friend, you can hear His voice when you open His Word. That is how peace can rule in your heart, as you let God’s Word dwell in you richly, as Colossians 3:16 says.

  4. The same peace Jesus has is the same peace He gives us. Our peace is nothing like the world’s peace. In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let our hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

    Jesus was perfectly at peace. He was the ruling monarch when it came to peace! And, the same peace Jesus had is the same peace we have. We don’t always experience it, though, because sin or sorrow or stress crowds our hearts and stifles the peace within. But this is a fact we need to focus on more often.

    Remind yourself that the same peace Jesus has is the same peace you have. It belongs to you, so don’t let shallow situations steal it. Don’t let lies from the enemy snag it from you. Don’t let chaos or catastrophes crush it. It is your inheritance. So, grab it, hold it, and let it hold you.

  5. We are full of peace when our hearts are full of faith. Romans 15:13 is a blessing from the apostle Paul. He writes, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

    When we believe God and live in faith, we have peace because our peace isn’t based on our circumstances. It’s based on our Savior. We aren’t just filled with peace. We overflow with hope. And that is all because of the power of the Holy Spirit in us.

So what happened in Seattle with my stalactite-shaped broken tooth? The last thing I wanted to do was get up on stage in front of hundreds of women with a big gap in my front teeth. But, when peace took over, I no longer was focused and worried if that was what had to happen. I trusted the Lord. I trusted His plan and provision—whatever that looked like.

God did end up providing a dentist who fixed my tooth before the event. I was so grateful. But the peace came before the provision—and that is the nature of God’s peace. It comes during the chaos.

So, remember that no matter what you face, no matter how you feel, you can have peace. You can access peace. You can choose peace because you can do all things through Christ, who gives you strength.

Related Resources

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