Path to Peace

Do you feel at peace right now? What does having peace mean to you?

Kim and I tried an experiment to see how we could manage our finances better. She started by handling the budgeting, dividing our income among bills, necessary expenses, and even some fun. After a while, I felt unsatisfied, though not upset. I decided to take over because I don’t mind working with numbers.

Once, Kim had to go out of town for a couple of weeks. Maybe she saw it as a chance for me to test my budgeting skills. She left me a list of our financial obligations for the month, and as I worked through it, I realized we had more to pay than we earned. I felt overwhelmed with anxiety and couldn’t sleep. I was uneasy and unsure what to do. I definitely didn’t feel at peace then. I called her for help, and it was a huge relief when she came home and took over that role again. You could say I’m more at peace now.

Alan Fadling, in his book A Non-Anxious Life, showed how a sense of God's presence leads to peace. He demonstrated how obedience can lead to peace with God through the life of King Saul, Israel's first king. In 1 Samuel 15:22-23, we find the Prophet Samuel rebuking Saul for failing to obey a clear “thus says the Lord.” It reads, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry...”

Saul believed that public worship could make up for private disobedience. But God cares more about a surrendered heart than outward religious acts. In this story, we see three barriers to peace: pride, control, and outcomes. We’ll talk more about these next week. Meanwhile, consider this: Surrender to God leads to personal and communal peace.

-Pastor Lim