The Peace of God

Colossians 3:15 – “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

What great hope we find in the possibility of the “peace of God” ruling in our hearts. When we turn from our sin and place our faith in Jesus Christ for our eternal salvation, we have peace with God through the blood of His Son. We are reconciled to the Lord through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ; the sins that once separated us from God are forgiven, making it possible to be at peace with our Creator.

However, there is a difference between having peace with God and having the “peace of God” ruling in our hearts. When Jesus was preparing His disciples for His death and His return to Heaven, He gave them this promise, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (John 14:27). He would leave them, and us, His very own peace. Imagine having the “peace of God” controlling and influencing our hearts. The demands and responsibilities of life consistently threaten our peace. We are often tempted to worry. It is not unusual to find God’s children who are fretful; however, we cannot conceive of God being stressed out or anxious.

When the Scripture tells us that we are to “let” the peace of God rule in our hearts, we understand that to mean that God’s peace is available; but we have a role in appropriating it into our hearts. Just as worry and anxiety cannot reside in our hearts unless we allow it, neither will God’s peace govern our hearts without our participation.

One factor that will have a direct bearing on the degree of God’s peace we are experiencing is our faith or lack of it. If we are to let His peace rule in our hearts, then we must trust Him for that provision. Likewise, we must recognize, confess, and forsake our worry as sin, and by faith, take Him at His Word. God wants to fill our hearts with His peace, but His peace will not abide where we are not relying on Him and trusting Him to fulfill His promises in our lives. Psalm 119:165 tells us, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” When our focus and our faith is on God and His truth, we can experience the promise of His peace ruling in our hearts.