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The Bible makes it clear that God wants us to have an accurate understanding of our identity and purpose in his creation. God does not want us to live with a distorted self-image or harbor anger about our physical appearance, race, and social/economic origin.The Great Commandment instructs us to “love our neighbors as ourselves” – there is an assumption that followers of Jesus who don’t love or respect themselves are not able to love others. In this sense, peace with ourselves is intimately related to peace with others or peace in society.
What stands in the way of this peace? Often it can be fear: fear of the unknown, fear of what lies ahead for us and those we love. These worries can sometimes distort our sense of trust in God and our attitudes towards ourselves. If we are fearful, it is hard to have a proper understanding of who we really are and how we are loved by God.
Psalm 91, for example, emphasizes the importance of putting our trust in God and finding security in this relationship. It reads “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” (91:1-2). The Psalm goes on to describe God as a refuge – a shelter in time of desperate need – and a fortress – a stronghold against attack by enemies. The picture of God as a bird who provides protection “under his wings” is repeated throughout the Psalms.
Read Psalm 4. In this passage as well as the preceding Psalm, King David prays to God for relief in a time of crisis. He expresses confidence that the Lord would hear when he called to him and he instructed his people to trust in the Lord. David also referred to the inner peace necessary for restful sleep. Here are his words: “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (4:8).
The bottom line is this: If we trust in God, we have no reason to be fearful. There is no promise in the Bible that we will not face hardships, diseases or broken relationships, but God does promise to be with us through these crises. What we learn from the Psalms is that God alone is the source of our peace, he is the only one who can give us internal tranquility. When he put our trust in God, it allows us to be at peace with ourselves and not to be fearful or defensive or self-absorbed.
Peace with ourselves will never result from striving to be autonomous or independent of others – or of God. It will only come from a loving dependence on the Lord.
So What?
- In our world, it is hard not to be fearful. If we are aware of what is happening around us, there are lots of things to be concerned about. But facing these challenges without becoming fearful is an important quality of a disciple of Jesus. Many times in my work in Russia over the last twenty years I have had to face some frightening situations, but I have gradually learned how to put my trust in the Lord and to find security in his promises of protection. I sometimes have to remind myself that I am an ambassador of Jesus Christ, the Lord of creation, and no government bureaucrat or Kremlin official is to be feared.
- Night times can often be difficult when we are struggling with crises in our lives. I have found that it is helpful to block out these fears by thanking God for all his blessings and by shifting my attention to things for which I am grateful. Philippians 4:6-7 gives practical advice on how this peace can be found; check out this passage in a contemporary translation. We will discuss this further in the next Shalom post.
- In a culture that praises independence, “doing your own thing,” or “being in charge of your own life,” learning to depend on the Lord seems like an impossible position to be in. But the Bible teaches – in sharp contrast to our modern culture – that there is no reason to fear if we put our trust in God.
