Knowing Peace In Troubling Times

Living in a world that seems to be falling apart at times, the words of Jesus to his disciples are as relevant to us today as they were when He spoke them to His troubled followers two millennia ago. "Don't be afraid," he told them repeatedly. The question is, "How are we to live in what appears to be uncertain circumstances in our lives without being afraid?" After all, our personal situations can seem terribly menacing at times.

The answer can be seen in John's experience when he was exiled on Patmos. Abandoned on a 22 square mile island, he must have felt alone to the point that he could have simply given up hope in God. To the contrary, it was on this small island that John experienced a vision of the God who was sovereign not only over his own circumstances but over the affairs of all of history. It was on this island that he wrote "The Revelation."

John found no comfort or hope from his own situation, but found great strength because of his focus. He had been worshiping when something amazing happened. He described it: "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven" (Revelation 4:1).

The first thing that John saw was a door standing open in heaven. What is the significance of this door? A door is a passageway connecting two different places. In this instance, it was a passage between two areas of reality – the natural and the supernatural.

The Holy Spirit called John to enter in through this door and to see beyond the natural world into an eternal world. His body was on Patmos, but, for a time, he was able to see beyond the bounds of his physical location and see his spiritual home. John saw that he was actually living in two worlds at the same time – the physical and the spiritual.

To find peace in our circumstances, we must understand that we too live in dual worlds. If you are to experience the "peace that passes understanding" in your life, it’s imperative to look beyond the physical world and recognize that there’s another dimension where you also live. Confidence in our God vanishes like dew in the desert sun if the only thing we can see are the visible circumstances of our lives. There is another reality to our lives beyond what we can see—and we live in that world, really.

The Apostle Paul had learned to trust His Father through this same lesson. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:18, While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Paul said the same thing as John – you live in a world you can’t see with your eyes.

In which area of reality do you find your life absorbed? If your focus is only on the natural world, you are suffering from short-sightedness. Using the lens of faith, look beyond the bounds of the temporary world with its temporary circumstances and see that there is another world. If you are looking for a reason to be courageous in the face of your hard times, you won’t find it in the natural realm. However, a supernatural assurance waits for you in the other world, just beyond the door you may enter by faith.

Not only do you live in a dual world – physical and spiritual – but the spiritual world is the dominate world. It’s within this dominate world that we find our real home. Your residence in this physical world is only temporary. However, your residence in the spiritual world is permanent. To recognize this truth is to embrace the foundation for contentment in this life below. When the outlook is bleak, try the upward look! You are, at this very moment, with Him by being in Christ Jesus.

The enemy of our souls robs us of our sense of peace when he causes us to look away from beyond the door to eternity and we become fixated on the temporal circumstances of this life. One example of this is found in the Old Testament, in 2 Kings 6:8-17. Eugene Peterson recounts the story well in The Message:

One time when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, afer consulting with his officers, he said, “At such and such a place I want an ambush set.” The Holy Man sent a message to the king of Israel: “Watch out when you’re passing this place, because Aram has set an ambush there.”

So the king of Israel sent word concerning the place of which the Holy Man had warned him. This kind of thing happened all the time. The king of Aram was furious over all this. He called his officers together and said, “Tell me, who is leaking information to the king of Israel? Who is the spy in our ranks?”

But one of his men said, No, my master, dear king. It’s not any of us. It’s Elisha the prophet in Israel. He tells the king of Israel everything you say, even when you whisper it in your bedroom. The king said, “Go and find out where he is. I’ll send someone and capture him.” The report came back, “He’s in Dothan.”

Then he dispatched horses and chariots, an impressive fighting force. They came by night and surrounded the city. Early in the morning a servant of the Holy Man got up and went out. Surprise! Horses and chariots surrounding the city! The young man exclaimed, “Oh, master! What shall we do?” He said, “don’t worry about it – there are more on our side than on their side.” Then Elisha prayed, “O GOD, open his eyes and let him see.” The eyes of the young man were opened and he saw. A wonder! The whole mountainside full or horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha!

This story is a perfect example of the connection between our focus and our sense of peace in the midst of trials. When the servant of Elisha could see only the physical world, panic struck him and peace disappeared instantly. Elisha, however, wasn’t focused on the temporal, but looked beyond the door and saw the eternal, where everything was under control.

So it is with you. Your life is hidden with God in Christ. Your roots are in heaven, even as you read this. Your assurance that everything will be okay comes from that life, not this one. Don’t look to find peace around the temporal things of this world. Peace is your birthright, but experiencing it comes from the Man of Peace - Jesus Christ, Himself. It is learned as you look beyond what you can see in the natural world and, by faith, see our Triune God seated securely on His throne.