Where Can You Find Peace?

The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. (Psalm 29:11) 

Increasing our pace has decreased our peace. There’s an old joke about a stressed-out personal assistant who told her boss, “When this rush is over, I’m going to have a nervous breakdown. I’ve earned it, I deserve it, and nobody’s going to take it from me!” We smile, but chances are you can relate. Not long ago we marked the passing of time in seasons. But seasons begat monthly calendars, which begat day-timers, which begat one-minute managers, which begat handheld personal organizers. And what does it all lead to? As our productivity goes up, our quality of life seems to go down.

An article in USA Today describes how therapist Ofer Zur staged a conference called ‘Speed.com: The Search for Meaning in the New Millennium’. And guess where he staged it? In the heart of stressed-out Silicon Valley, California! As the attendees gathered, Zur noted the drawn faces, worried looks, and preoccupied demeanor of his audience. He said his personal alarm sounded when he noted they had brought cell phones and laptops - and began using them during the session. Here’s what he said about it: “We’ve become obsessed with speed. We end up with lots of plans that we can’t execute and a full schedule that can’t be followed. The paradox of our time-saving tech gadgets is that we’ve wound up with no free time.” Sound familiar? So where can you go to find peace? To the One whose name is Prince of Peace. Today He’s saying to you:  If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea. (Isaiah 48:18).

Read Psalm 29 (entire chapter) 

A psalm of David.

(1) Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. (2) Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. (3) The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. (4) The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. (5) The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. (6) He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. (7) The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. (8) The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. (9) The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!” (10) The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. (11) The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.