Finding Peace In The Middle Of The Unknown

Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1

Finding Peace In The Middle Of The Unknown
What brings you peace? Is it food on the shelves and in the refrigerator? Is it money in the bank?  Is it a successful career for yourself, your husband, and good grades for your kids? Is it going back to normal?  So far, none of those things have proven to provide peace this year as we have learned just how temporary the things of this world are. So where can we find peace in the middle of the unknown? We only get peace from what we know, and in the middle of the unknown, cling to what you know.

Even though we might not know what tomorrow brings, if we know we can trust our
God – who holds tomorrow – then we can have peace.

Peace with God only comes when we align ourselves with God and not the world. James 4:4 tells us that if we are friends with the world, we make ourselves an enemy with God. Those are strong words to think about. How are some ways we might inadvertently be friends with the world?

By ignoring or covering up sin in our lives: Is there some stronghold in your life that you refuse to give up? Maybe you feel like it is ok because no one knows about it but you.  It is easy to stay hidden in some secret sin that no one else knows about, and with no accountability, we can go on like this for a long time. It seems fine if no one knows the difference as long as you are not hurting another person outright. But you are hurting your relationship with God. He knows. He sees. And just because we can hide it and come to church on Sunday and Bible study on Tuesday, doesn’t make it ok. We know that God has grace, so we somehow think we deserve an extra portion, since we are mostly obedient and good. But God’s grace is not there for us to abuse. It is there to save us and sanctify us.

God’s grace is not an invitation to sin. God’s grace is an invitation to holiness.  – Jackie Hill Perry

God is pretty serious about sin in our lives, and Paul is pretty clear about how it affects us in Romans 8:7-8: For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. When we live in the flesh, we cannot be in line with God, and therefore we cannot be at peace with God.  If we have sin in our lives, we will not find peace, and if we live our lives like He is not our God (in sin), especially in privacy, we deny Him. If we cannot be at peace with God because of sin, we will not have peace from God in our hearts.

Justification Brings Peace

Romans 5:1 tells us that when we are justified by faith, we will find peace with God. For a Christian, justification is when God not only forgives our sins, but also imputes the righteousness of Christ on us. When we receive Christ, we receive His righteousness, not because we deserve it or did anything to earn it, but it is simply given to us because we receive Him by faith. Because we know we have been justified, then we can have peace.

When the world is crazy and no one knows what tomorrow brings, we must cling to what we know.  We can have peace from God in the midst of the unknown, because we know we are justified in Christ as believers.

A blessed change takes place in the sinner’s state, when he becomes a true believer, whatever he has been. Being justified by faith he has peace with God. The holy, righteous God cannot be at peace with a sinner, while under the guilt of sin. Justification takes away the guilt,
and so makes a way for peace – Matthew Henry

Lara Cook