Learning to Recognize the Peace God Has Given Us
Perfect peace is something we learn to walk in as Christians. We hear about it from the pulpit, and some of us encourage others with the Scriptures about God’s perfect peace. We want people to know that during the most turbulent storms of life, God can calm our hearts and handle any pressures we’re enduring. And pressures do come with life on earth. There are seasons in our lives when things are good and experiencing God’s peace comes easy. There are also those times when it seems there is one problem right after another, and we could use what I call an extra dose of peace. God has already given us access to His peace through Jesus Christ, so it’s not like He needs to provide any more than He already has. But sometimes, we need to resettle our hearts on the Father and do so in a way that invites the peace He freely offers.
Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Notice that this Scripture begins by telling us what God will do for us when we place our trust in Him. He will keep us in perfect peace, but we can’t overlook the part about where we’re placing our trust. Sometimes, without even realizing it, we place our trust in the situation, relationship, or person that’s got our heart unsettled. We think that if the situation would just work out, things would ease up, and we could finally be calm again. But the reality is that the peace God promises isn’t dependent on what’s happening around us. It has everything to do with where we’re placing our trust and what we’re allowing to occupy our thoughts. Isaiah 26:3 helps us understand this when it tells us that God keeps us in perfect peace when our thoughts are fixed on Him, the One who has all power in His hands. So the question we need to ask ourselves is whether we’re keeping our minds fixed on Him or on the things we can’t control.
Stay Close to the Source
John 14:27 (NLT) says, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” This peace is not something we earn. It’s a gift from the Lord that we must learn to walk in. But if we want to experience His peace consistently, we have to stay close to the source. James 4:8 (NLT) says, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” When we begin to stray from God and divide our loyalty, confusion can start showing up in our decisions. We can find ourselves wondering whether something is a trick of the enemy or a genuine blessing from God. That’s why staying close to the Lord is so important. The more we seek Him through His Word, prayer, and obedience, the more we learn to recognize what agrees with His Will and what doesn’t.
The peace of God has a signature—God’s signature. And as we continue walking with Him, we become more familiar with His ways and learn to trust His leading. This doesn’t mean we’ll always know exactly what God is doing or that we’ll never have questions about the road ahead. There will be times when we have to wait, times when things don’t make sense, and times when following His instructions requires us to step out in faith. But we don’t have to force things to happen or allow confusion and fear to drive our decisions. We can bring our concerns before the Lord, examine what we’re hearing against His Word, and trust Him to guide us. Even when we don’t have all the answers, we can have peace knowing that the One we’re trusting does.
When we pray for God’s Will to be done in our lives and remain willing to follow His direction, we make room to experience the peace He has already given us. God desires for us to be close to Him, and He wants us to experience the more than abundant life Jesus promised. But we cannot expect to walk in His peace while insisting on having our own way. Sometimes the confusion we’re experiencing is a reason to pause, examine our hearts, and seek the Lord before moving forward.
We need to be sure we’re following His leading, not simply pursuing what we want and asking Him to bless it. And here’s something we can’t afford to overlook. Just because we want something badly doesn’t mean God has approved it. We can convince ourselves of a whole lot of things when our hearts are set on having our own way. That’s why we have to keep coming back to His Word, surrendering our desires, and allowing Him to direct our steps. Peace and confusion don’t mix, and when confusion starts taking over, we don’t have to keep pushing forward trying to make things work. Sometimes the wisest thing we can do is get quiet before the Lord and make sure we’re listening to Him.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Peace and Confusion Don’t Mix”, written by KLizzie for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2026. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
