What is the peace of God, and how can I get it?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Biblically speaking, peace is not the absence of trials; it’s the absence of anxiety and fear through trials. But to have the peace of God, one must first be at peace with God. Because God is holy (Isaiah 6:3) He calls us to be holy (1 Peter 1:16). Because everyone is sinful by nature and sinners by choice (Romans 3:23), we are all born under His wrath (Ephesians 2:3). However, God sent His Son to bring peace to earth (Luke 2:14). Jesus made that peace possible by dying in the place of sinners so that all who believe in Him are reconciled to God, and thus at peace with Him (Romans 5:1). Those who are at peace with God can have the peace of God. That peace comes from casting our cares on God (1 Peter 5:7) and trusting that He is both good and in control. When we have the peace of God, we don't have to be anxious about anything but, instead, are able to come to God in prayer for everything (Philippians 4:6). God's peace is not the removal of problems from our lives but the protection of our hearts and our minds (Philippians 4:7) so we can face any difficulty with confidence, knowing that He is in control.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• God is perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3). Habakkuk said of Him, “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong” (Habakkuk 1:13a). Because everyone is sinful (Psalm 14:3), we are born “at war” with God, and therefore not at peace with Him.
• Because God is holy and cannot overlook sin (Psalm 5:4–5), humanity is separated from Him. Yet from the beginning, God promised a Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) who would bring lasting reconciliation between God and humanity.
• Of that Prince, also known as the Servant, we learn that “he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). In the New Testament, that bringer of peace is Jesus (cf. 1 Peter 2:24).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• When Jesus was born, the angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14). His entry into the world brought peace with God. He did this by dying a sacrificial death (Romans 3:25) so that those who believe in Him are justified, counted as righteous (Romans 4:5). Paul could then say, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
• The first step to having the peace of God is having peace with Him. Believers then obtain the peace of God through their trust in God. Believers do not need to “be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6a) because we know God is sovereign over all and good.
• Because we have peace with God, we can cast “all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Knowing that God cares encourages us to “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6b). By telling God, we trust Him to both care and provide help.
• Additionally, not only does the believer not need to be anxious, but the believer is to fill his or her mind with thoughts of what is good, specifically thoughts of how God is good (Philippians 4:8). That filling the mind replaces the anxious thoughts with reminders that God can and will walk one through trials.
• Also, the believer is to put into practice “what you have learned and received and heard and seen” in Scripture (Philippians 4:9). God's Word teaches the believer how to live, and living as it says, despite the temptation to fear the ramifications of trusting God, demonstrates a heart that trusts in God.
• Paul says that prayer, casting off anxiety, and obeying God bring “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7a). It “surpasses all understanding” because it’s not based on our logical conclusions about what we see in the world. Instead, it’s a peace that comes from trusting in God despite our inability to understand how something will work out.
• When a believer has that peace, it “will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7b). The peace of God flows from trust placed. That peace protects the believer from entering a spiral of worry and helps them live faithfully despite life’s trials.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Before you can experience the peace of God, you must first be at peace with God. If you have never trusted in Jesus, that's where peace begins. Because we have all sinned (Romans 3:23), our relationship with God has been broken. But in His love, God sent His Son to make peace possible through His death and resurrection. Everyone who repents and places their faith in Jesus is forgiven, reconciled to God, and welcomed into His family (Romans 5:1; John 1:12). If you want true and lasting peace, the first step is to trust in Christ (Mark 1:15).

If you are reading this as a believer, God has given you His peace. It is a peace grounded in the fact that God will never lose or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5), will never allow anyone or anything to separate you from His love (Romans 8:38–39), and even after you die will resurrect you to live forever with Him (John 6:39–40). We obtain that peace as we remind ourselves of what is true (for example, that God is for us (Romans 8:31)) and by trusting Him in all situations (Proverbs 3:5–6). The next time anxiety begins to take over, don't let it stay in your mind—turn it into a prayer. As you continually entrust your fears to God and choose to believe His promises, His peace will guard your heart and mind, even when your circumstances haven't changed (Philippians 4:7).

UNDERSTAND

• Peace with God is the foundation of having the peace of God.
• The peace of God is experienced by trusting Him.
• God's peace doesn't remove life's problems—it sustains us through them.

REFLECT

• How does the distinction between peace with God and the peace of God change the way you think about what you are actually asking for when you pray for peace?
• How do you practice casting your anxiety on God so you can experience His peace?
• How have you experienced God's peace sustain you through a difficult season, and what did that experience teach you about trusting Him?

ENGAGE

• How does the sequence Paul lays out in Philippians 4:6–9—prayer, right thinking, practiced obedience—reveal that the peace of God is not passive but requires active and deliberate cooperation with what He has provided?
• What does it reveal about the nature of God's peace that it guards the heart and mind rather than removing the difficulty that threatens them?
• How is the world's view of peace different from God's?