Being guided by peace

‘I will teach you the fear of the Lord . . . seek peace and pursue it.” Psalm 34.11-14

Paul wrote to the Colossians and encouraged them to let the peace of Christ rule in their hearts (Colossians 3.15).  The sense is that Christ’s peace would exist as a guide, pointing them to the course they ought to take.  Both Paul, and David in this psalm, seem to be saying that in all our thinking about the future and the decisions that need to be made, there is a path of peace to be discovered.

Do you have a decision to make?  Take a moment to write down all the options and consequences of the different paths open to you.  Think through these consequences in your mind and see yourself walking down the different paths available to you.  Which of the paths actually gives you peace as you were thinking about it?  This is not the same as deciding which is the one you would rather do, nor is it asking which is the most comfortable, but rather which of these paths is the way of peace?

If it’s a major decision facing you, it’s always worth sharing your feelings with someone that you trust – but also trust the presence of Jesus with you.  After all, when the prophet Isaiah was looking into the future, he described him as the ‘Prince of Peace’.  If Jesus is the one beckoning you down a certain path, you will catch a sense of his peace as you follow him.

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