Pursue Peace



Psa 4:8  I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. 


	There is a condition and place of peace that is ours in the presence of the One who is our shield and 

our refuge. In this place our souls are made to be completely free from fear or worry and, like a child who isn't 

even aware of potential danger, we can lay down and rest as if nothing could go wrong. Entrance to and 

abiding in this place comes when the soul is totally convinced it is pursuing the right path and there is 

nothing for which it should feel guilty. Secure in this conviction, peace and confidence are attained in an 

assurance that the great Defender and Protector is for us and not against us. This condition of peace can be 

a great indicator of the righteousness of our walk. We can follow after this peace as affirmation of our 

condition and position in Him. Jesus is often used as an example of this peace in the middle of the storm. He 

was at the bottom of the boat in a deep sleep right in the middle of the storm that, to the disciples, 

threatened their very lives. Jesus must have been completely free from worry about whether or not they would 

arrive at their destination. He was so confident in His purpose and the rightness of His walk that nothing could 

present itself as a legitimate obstacle in His path. From this condition of peace He could easily speak to the 

terrible storm as if it were a small pet or child, completely unimpressed with its power to impede His progress. 


Jon 1:4  But GOD sent a huge storm at sea, the waves towering. The ship was about to break into pieces. 

Jon 1:5  The sailors were terrified. They called out in desperation to their gods. They threw everything they 

were carrying overboard to lighten the ship. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship to 

take a nap. He was sound asleep. 

Jon 1:6  The captain came to him and said, "What's this? Sleeping! Get up! Pray to your god! Maybe your 

god will see we're in trouble and rescue us." 


	While this condition of peace is an indicator of confidence in the soul, it is interesting from this 

passage in Jonah that it is not necessarily a direct indicator of the true righteousness of the path taken. 

Though this story is so very similar to the one of Jesus, there is an obvious difference in the fact that Jonah was 

going completely against the will of God. He had been told to go to Ninevah, but had chosen to run the 

other direction and go towards something that was his preference. (Jon 1:3  But Jonah rose up to flee unto 

Tarshish from the presence of the LORD,) Somehow for Jonah the presence of the Lord was something that did 

not bring him peace. He was so troubled by the direction he was commanded to go that, even though it 

would include the presence of God, he could find no peace for the moment until he chose a different path. 

So relieved from the weight of pursuing the path he despised, his soul actually experienced a peace that 

allowed him to sleep, just like Jesus, in the middle of a terrible storm. If peace were the defining element in 

the determination of righteous pursuit, the case would have to be made that he was indeed making the right 

choice in heading for Tarshish. From this story, though, there is strong evidence of contradiction, that peace 

alone cannot validate the path chosen. It also cannot be held as the beacon to which we should commit 

unalterable pursuit. 


Psa 37:37  Watch the perfect and behold the upright one; for the end of that man is peace. 


	There is definitely a peace that will come as one is resting in the secret place, completely 

separated from the threats of the enemy. This peace can be followed and sought after with diligence, but 

there is also a peace that will follow when the righteous path is taken. The fruit that comes from the decision 

made and its impact in the end must become an equally essential element in validating the righteous path. 

There will always be a peace that is the ultimate result of the right choice. 

	While peace may not of itself validate the path chosen,  there can be an assurance that when its 

pursuit includes the presence of God and obedience to His will there will be this necessary end result of 

goodness and peace. Though the path may include great hindrances and despised requirements, it is the 

passion for and requirement of His presence that will bring the sustaining peace that will last to the very end. 



2/6/04