In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for thou alone, O LORD, makest me dwell in safety.
There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them. One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror, for peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest... perfect peace.
Which picture do you think won the prize? The King chose the second picture. Do you know why? "Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."
Oh Jesus, You are the Prince of Peace. My heart beats for You forever and calmness fills my soul, so I will never feel troubled; neither would I be afraid. And since we have been justified by faith, we would forever be living in peace with the Almighty Father through You.
Almighty Father, Your peace You have given us, and Your peace we share with each other. In the midst of conflicts, war and disagreements, we would be thankful for the strength You have given us.
“The God of silence beckons me
To journey to my heart
Where He awaits me.”
Peace is not the absence of conflict, it’s the absence of inner conflict.
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