“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” – John 14:27
You heard the one about the boy who cried wolf?
As fables go, it is along the most well-known. A boy lies numerous times about the town’s flock of sheep being attacked by a wolf for his own entertainment. They become angry with him. A bona fide wolf actually does attack the flock. The boy tells the town, but they choose not to believe him and let their sheep get devoured.
The end. Sometimes, fables are real bummers.
The villagers in that town behaved a certain way regarding the safety of their sheep based on their past experience with the boy. Their response was based on lies.
I think most Christians are like these villagers. They, too, respond to circumstances in their life based on lies. Imagine your income is just enough to pay your bills every month with no wiggle room. Then, one day, you lose your job. In no time at all, your mind goes to the bills and your inability to pay them. There is no new job in sight. There is no extra income alternatives in your grasp. The truth is you have no idea how your bills are going to get paid on time.
But there is also a lie in there as well. Because you have no idea how your bills are going to get paid, you come to believe that they WON’T get paid on time. That is an assumption about the future that you have no knowledge of. Before we say anything about God or His provision, it is illogical to conclude that your bills won’t get paid when you have no knowledge of what the future holds.
But in these moments, we seldom respond in a logical fashion. All we see is the problem. And the problem often causes us to believe in a lie.
Now, let’s bring in God. What truth do we know?
- Philippians 4:19 – “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.”
- Matthew 6:31-32 – “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”
- Psalm 50:10, 15 – “For every animal of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills…call upon Me on Your day of trouble, I will rescue you.”
That’s plain truth. God provides for our needs. He doesn’t say how. He doesn’t say when. He doesn’t say if. He provides. Now add that back to the other truth you already know. You have no idea how your bills are going to get paid, BUT God provides.
And that is how you experience the peace of God. You pair real-life truth with biblical truth, and you stop buying the lies that are common to most people.
It’s not a principle that says bad things won’t happen to you if you just believe in God. God says frequently that life will continue to throw a lot of bad stuff your way. The principle is not about the bad stuff; it is about the fear and anxiety that often accompany the bad stuff.
So, if you’re sick and tired of feeling all knotted up about the state of things in your life, start separating the truth from the lies in your world and then start attaching biblical truth to the real life truth.