THE FAITH AND PEACE CONNECTION

God, teach me to be patient;
Teach me to go slow.
Teach me how to wait on You
When my way I do not know.
Teach me sweet forbearance
When things do not go right,
So I remain unruffled
When others grow uptight.
Teach me how to quiet
My racing, rising heart,
So I may hear the answer
You are trying to impart.
Teach me to let go, dear God,
And pray undisturbed until
My heart is filled with inner peace
And I learn to know Your will!
—Helen Steiner Rice (1900–1981)

Jesus promises us peace. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Just as Jesus calmed the stormy sea when His disciples thought their ship was sinking and they were about to drown, He can calm the storms of life and give you inner peace that passes all understanding.

He did it for Paul and Silas, when they were beaten and thrown into prison. Instead of despairing, they sang praises to God—and were suddenly and miraculously set free! As you learn to trust in God with all your heart, you’ll find that He can give you perfect peace—no matter what is going on around you! —Rafael Holding

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. —Isaiah 26:3

Trust doesn’t just happen. As children, we learn to trust our parents because we feel their love and benefit from their care and mature understanding of life. We trust friends who have stuck with us through thick and thin. We trust business people who we find to be honest and reliable. We trust people, in short, because of our experience with them.

It’s the same with God. The more we open our hearts to Him, the more we experience His love and concern. The more we study the Bible and Bible-based
materials, the better we understand life and the more we appreciate God’s wisdom and goodness. The more we learn and claim God’s promises, the more faith we have in them. The more we take our problems to Him, the more we learn to depend on Him to work them out. The better we get to know Him, the more we trust Him; and the more we trust Him, the more inner peace we have.
—Keith Phillips