The Holy Spirit and Peace
Scripture Reading — Philippians 4:4-9
The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Do you have peace? Peace often seems elusive. There are so many things to worry about each day, not to mention peace in the troubled world around us. Because we don’t have control over most things, we can often find ourselves filled with fear and anxiety. How do we find real, lasting peace?
True peace comes from the Holy Spirit. Above all, the peace of being made right with God comes by Jesus’ work of salvation, applied to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Being right with God provides eternal peace.
That’s wonderful news, but how do we find peace to ease our everyday fears and anxieties? Peace in our daily lives—in the midst of and despite constant turmoil and uncertainty—comes to us as a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). The peace of the Holy Spirit brings well-being, contentment, and wholeness, whatever the circumstances.
But like the other fruit of the Holy Spirit, we can’t produce this kind of spiritual peace on our own. We can, however, ask the Spirit today to continue working in our hearts to grow the fruit of peace that allows confident living and service. And we can be assured that the Spirit will give us “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” and which guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Dear Jesus, forgive us when we are filled with anxiety and fear. May your Holy Spirit continue to bear the fruit of peace in our hearts so that we can joyfully serve you. Amen.
About the author — Kurt Selles
Kurt Selles is the director of ReFrame Ministries and serves as the Executive Editor of Today. He is a graduate of Calvin College and Seminary, and received his PhD from Vanderbilt University. Before coming to ReFrame, he served 19 years in Taiwan and China with CRC World Missions. Kurt later taught missions at Beeson Divinity School, where he also acted as the director of the school’s Global Center. Kurt and his wife, Vicki, reside in Grand Rapids and have three adult children.
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