The peace of God, which is beyond our utmost understanding, will keep guard over your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:7, N.E.B.

Peace is one of those words we often use without knowing what it is all about. The dictionary calls it "calmness." We think of a tranquil sea after a storm. Or of freedom from war. Or of the entrance of the Sabbath after a week of hard work.

The peace that Christ gives us is not a static absence of all activity, such as comes when we do not need to think or to do anything. It is not the kind when you are alone, and the children have gone to school, and you have a few hours of undisturbed rest. This is not what Christ had in mind, at all.

Peace is the balance of a thousand forces in the human mind. Apart from trust in God, such a balance is quite unattainable; real peace is impossible. All men are full of endless striving, struggling, fightings within and anxieties without. In a world filled with sin there is no escape from discontent, except as we experience Christ in the life.

Peace is the effect of the presence of God in our lives, the balance between our tasks and tribulations and the power and ability to meet them. The peace of Christ in us means we can match ourselves with all that calls for the best in us. Jesus Christ came to restore the lost balance in our hearts. He brings our lives into harmony with God's will.

So much of life is disturbed by folly, stained by sinful indulgence, frustrated by inadequacy and vain pursuits, harassed by memories of guilty years. Often men try to free themselves of inner problems by denying them, or by indulging in worldly distractions and excitements. But inner discord can be successfully treated only from above. To try to deal with the conflicts of our nature by the superficial solutions offered by the world is simply a waste of time. If we truly desire peace we must let Christ deal with our motives, our emotional immaturities, our past sins. Only as we transcend our conflicts by God's love can we master them. We cannot live the past over again. We cannot atone for our sins and mistakes. Christ speaks peace and forgiveness to us. He gives us a new heart. The measure of our faith in our loving heavenly Father is the measure of our peace. We rest our minds on Him.