The Presence of Peace in Our Lives
By Peter Amsterdam
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Peace, one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, is rooted in our being in right relationship with God, which is possible because of His gift of salvation. 1 Peace is also the outworking of our trust in God and our confidence in His love for us.
The Hebrew word for peace used in the Old Testament, shalom, along with its New Testament Greek equivalent, eirene, had a fuller meaning than the standard definition of peace in modern-day English. In addition to meaning tranquility, a state of exemption from the havoc of war, and the absence of anxiety or stress, these Hebrew and Greek words convey the concept of being whole or sound, completeness, safety, health, and prosperity.
Throughout the New Testament, God is referred to as the God of peace (Romans 16:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:23). Peace as spoken of in Scripture is expressed from three angles: peace with God, peace within ourselves, and peace with other people—all of which complement one another and contribute to the manifestation of the fruit of peace in our life.
Peace with God
The salvation we have in Jesus has repaired the breach between God and us that was caused by our sins, so that we are reconciled with the Father. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
This peace has brought us back into relationship with God which was lost due to sin. It is because of this reconciliation that we can have wholeness and completeness; the peace of heart, mind, and spirit of shalom. Jesus is the pathway to this kind of peace.
A firm trust that God has forgiven us and that we are reconciled with Him, coupled with our knowledge that God loves and cares about us, gives us the true sense of full peace spoken of throughout Scripture. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3). “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble” (Psalm 119:165).
The foundation of true peace is God’s love for us and the reconciliation He made available through Jesus, and it is because of His gift of salvation that we can put our trust in Him and His promises and live in peace with Him. Salvation is the basis for our peace with God, which makes peace within ourselves and peace with others possible.
Peace within ourselves
We tend to feel at peace when things are going well; when we’re healthy, doing well financially, and not facing any major challenges. But biblical peace goes far beyond the peace we experience when everything is running smoothly. True peace transcends circumstances, and it’s a steadying anchor even in turbulent waters. It has to do with God’s presence with us, with living in His kingdom, letting Him reign in our lives, and trusting that He is our Father who loves us and always has our best interests at heart.
While we may have peace with God through salvation, this doesn’t necessarily mean we have the peace of God in our lives. Sometimes it’s more natural for us to go to the Lord when something major happens, whereas we forget to do so with petty and reoccurring everyday difficulties. Often we are robbed of peace because we worry and fret over fairly minor events or challenges. We try to deal with them ourselves instead of bringing them before the Lord and casting our burdens upon Him in faith and trust that He is with us and cares for us.
It’s interesting that Jesus spoke to His disciples about peace the night before His crucifixion. In John 16, He spoke to them about the sorrow, trials, and tribulation they would face, but also of the peace they would have in Him. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world”(John 16:33).
These two promises that Jesus made to His disciples hold true for us as well. First, He says that we will face difficulties in our lives. The difficulties we encounter can rob us of joy and peace by bringing uncertainty. We don’t know what the outcomes will be, so we worry, become anxious, apprehensive, and fearful. Second, Jesus promised that we could have peace in Him.
We are to take heart in times of difficulty and uncertainty, because Jesus has overcome the world. This awareness brings us peace, as we put our trust in the Lord. Jesus also said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
The apostle Paul provided a powerful formula for combatting anxiety: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).
The remedy for worry is to bring our cares to the Lord in prayer and trust that He knows all our troubles and that He loves us. We are not promised that when we bring our concerns to the Lord we will always be delivered from them, but we are promised that peace in Jesus is available for us.
Sometimes the reason we don’t find peace in trying times is that we’re unwilling to settle for anything other than full deliverance from a problem. The promise, however, is that we can pray for the resolution of whatever is causing our anxiety, and we can then have that unexplainable peace which allows us to put our well-being into the Lord’s hands and trust that He knows our circumstances and will guard our hearts and minds against anxiety.
While praying for a solution is completely legitimate, often a solution takes time—sometimes a great deal of time—during which we can still find peace because we’ve put these matters into the Lord’s hands. We’ve made our requests known, and having petitioned the Lord for help, we can have His peace.
Peace with others
Throughout the New Testament, there are a number of references to being at peace with others: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18). “Let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Romans 14:19). “Strive for peace with everyone” (Hebrews 12:14).
We are to pursue peace, strive for it, seek it, and do as much as we can to live peaceably with others. Of course, being at peace with others doesn’t only depend on us, which is why Paul said, “so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Sometimes the other party doesn’t want peace, but in such situations, we are called to do what we can to be at peace with them.
As those who seek to live godly lives, who want to be ambassadors for Jesus and to draw others to Him, we are called to strive for peace with everyone.
Having peace in our lives
When we have Jesus in our lives, we follow His Word; and following His Word, living in alignment with what Scripture tells us about how to live, gives us peace. The byproduct of living in conjunction with God’s Word is a life blessed with wholeness, contentment, security, and peace of mind.
We’re told in the Bible that “blessed are those who keep my ways” (Proverbs 8:32). When we make God’s Word the foundation of our lives; when we look to it for guiding principles for our thoughts, decisions, and actions; when we pattern our lives after what it says, we can experience the peace that comes from God. It’s not as if we will never face difficult problems, or suffer or worry; but when we do, we can still have the peace which comes from knowing and trusting that our Father will make it all right in the end. We may not find the resolutions to some problems in this life, but we can still be at peace knowing that His truth, justice, and love will prevail in the life to come.
We find the path of true and lasting peace in communion with the Lord, abiding in Him, trusting Him, and following Him. Our possessions, relationships with others, finances, or circumstances are not what bring us peace that will endure through the storms of life. Abiding in God, living His Word, and trusting Him for everything is how we find “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
Living in accordance with God’s Word and peace go together. Having a relationship with the Lord, living His precepts, and walking in His ways result in a soul full of peace, regardless of the challenges and adversities of everyday life—and this is something to be prized above all possessions and relationships.
If we truly value peace, the road we travel will need to be the “path of righteousness” (Proverbs 12:28), of living God’s Word, following its direction, committing to do those things which will enhance the spiritual fruit of peace. Most of all, knowing that our Father loves us and has sacrificed His Son for us is the foundation for the confidence to trust Him with every aspect of our lives, no matter what our circumstances. That confidence is what ultimately gives us lasting peace.
Originally published August 2017. Adapted and republished September 2025. Read by John Laurence.
1 Points for this article were summarized from The Fitting Room: Putting on the Character of Christ, by Kelly Minter (David C. Cook, 2017), and The Practice of Godliness, by Jerry Bridges (Navpress, 1983).
