Searching for Peace

John 16:33

"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."

This is the verse of the day that I found in my Bible app today. I don't check it everyday, but when the thought crosses my mind I know it is for a reason.

Tribulation: a cause of great trouble or suffering. It can come in many forms. Maybe it is the three exams coming up this week. Maybe someone you know passed away. Maybe you are struggling financially. Maybe you have a broken heart.

No matter what form its in, tribulation wears us out. It causes exhaustion. It throws you into a chaotic frenzy. Its messy. Its sticky. It is hard to clean up.

The Bible said that it would come. This life is not free of trials and pain. Instead, tribulation is woven in and out of daily life. It is a part of the world in which we live. Tribulation will come.

I keep trying to find rest. I sit on the couch and watch Netflix until the wee hours of the night. I take bubble baths to try and soak the pain away.  I eat massive amounts of cheese and pasta because I hope to fill the pit in my stomach. I try to keep my mind off the subject that really hurts me. But peace does not come from these things.

The moments I find true peace and rest are when I remember to let God in. When I stop trying to self medicate and let him speak, bits and pieces of weight are lifted off my shoulders. It is a shame that I forget to lean on Him. I wish I could be in constant conversation with Him, telling him all about my trials and tribulations. I wish my human heart understood the depths of God's peace. I wish I knew how to cling to Him with everything I have.

True peace is not the ceasing of trials. it is not the absence of tribulation. Peace is the comfort found in God's promises despite the trials and tribulation. Peace does not come by my own doing, it is through the Healer alone. I can not fully grasp the concept of God's peace, but He is showing me more with every passing day.

He knows that most days I will forget to rest in Him. He knows that my human heart will attempt to bandage the wounds myself, and yet He still proves His peace by binding up and holding my wounds in His hands anyway. God doesn't need me to recognize His peace for it to be given. It is given freely because He is peace in His very nature.

God is peace. He is the place of rest that you can fall on when those exams are done. He is a warm embrace when you lose someone close. He is the provider when money is short. he is true love when a broken heart is barely beating. He is peace.

Take heart; for He has overcome the world.