Are we just praying for peace or are we pursuing the gift of peace that God longs to truly give us?

Dear Reader… Last night, as I closed my computer for another day; I began to thank God, for all He had done and the many ways that He had blessed my day. As I finished my talk with Him, I asked Him for renewed strength and peace, for this day that I’m now living. How many of us truly see God, as a god who is rich in strength and peace? There are many times, when my early morning prayer begins, by asking God for His strength, while the night hour seems to be a time, when I’m reaching out for His peaceful presence; to calm me down, from a very busy day. Even as I am sharing this time with you right now, there is a gentle rain falling outside my window and even through nature, I have come to feel the peaceful presence of a God, who longs to take the heavy burdens from us and exchange them for His perfect peace. This morning, as I’ve been focusing on the peace of God, I came across a Bible verse in John 14:27 that I would like to share with you today and we read…“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” Can we say that we see God’s peace as a gift…from His heart to ours? Just think…He is offering a gift…that when opened; can flood our thoughts and hearts, with a peace that can calm any raging storm within us. How many times has God offered us His gift of peace; only to place it to the side, while we continue to look for our own means of muddling through these difficult moments? I remember a time in my life, when I was facing one knee surgery after another. I found it difficult to rest at night because of the post-op pain I was experiencing; so one night, I got an idea. I puffed up my pillow…got as comfortable as I could and pictured myself resting in the lap of God. It was amazing because within minutes, I had fallen asleep. I think the problem we all face from time to time; is that we are praying for God’s peace but we aren’t pursuing it. God doesn’t want us to just pray for the gift of peace but He wants us to go after it and allow it to work on our behalf and the only way we are going to discover His perfect peace; is when we believe that His peace; is a peace that can work for us, no matter how overwhelming the situation may be. When we pray and ask God for His peace; can we say that we really believe that His peace can calm the raging storms within us or are we merely speaking words; while we continue to go our own way…pursuing what we feel will work best for us? We must remember one thing…even though the peace in this world is only temporary; there is a gift of peace that will remain alive within us…a peace that isn’t fragile but a peace that is strong enough to calm any storm that may seem out of control. When we come to truly believe in this lasting peace that God is offering us; that is when we will come to see; that no matter what we may have to face in life…we can make it through, as long as we hold tightly to God’s perfect gift of peace. God bless! It's Always & Only Because of Him... Diane