Thriving in Tough Times: Bible Verses About Peace

If you’re going through a turbulent time in your life, this article is for you. In the paragraphs that follow, we’ll take a look at several Bible verses about peace to help you find comfort and hope in the midst of trying times.

There are people out there with remarkable skills in nurturing plants, even for nursing sick and dying plants from the brink to full vibrancy. These green-thumbed individuals look like miracle workers to others that can seemingly kill a plant just by watering or looking at it.

Each plant has certain conditions under which it thrives and grows best, and knowing those conditions and how to draw out the full potential of a plant is an amazing gift more people wish they had.

People are a little like plants, in that we too have certain conditions in which we flourish and reach our fullest potential. Of course, like plants, people can be hardy and persevere even in inhospitable conditions. That isn’t a substitute for the flourishing that could happen under other circumstances. One word that can be used to describe the soil in which we thrive best as people is ‘peace’. But what is peace, why does it matter, and how do we get it?

Definition

Peace is a word that has different meanings for people. For some people, peace is about the absence of open conflict. Around the Thanksgiving table, ‘keeping the peace’ is mainly about making sure that opposing opinions and simmering tensions don’t boil over or become apparent and make everyone uncomfortable for the rest of the day.

Being a peacemaker is then mostly about making sure people stay civil and helping to give generous interpretations to people’s comments and expressed opinions.

In the Bible, peace is something that goes deeper than the absence of conflict. Peace, or shalom, is about wholeness and flourishing. That wholeness and flourishing refer to lives marked by dignity, an abundance of opportunity, and the absence of hunger and fear.

Juliana Claasens says that when a person is flourishing, they can fulfill their full potential, and their life is lived without fear of dying suddenly or violently; they have access to adequate food, shelter, and health care.

Flourishing and wholeness mean you have space to imagine, think, reason, and worship God, and you have the freedom to express human emotions like gratitude, longing, and anger without fear of recrimination.

You can form meaningful relationships with others and engage in social interaction, and you can laugh, play and have time for recreational activities. This fullness is not only physical, but it also relates to our emotions as well as our spiritual well-being.

Humans were created and placed in a world of shalom, and God called it good (Genesis 1-2). Unfortunately, due to human rebellion, we lost that sense of wholeness, and our lives are marked by alienation from God and each other. We often don’t feel at home in the world, our bodies, and our relationships.

The amazing thing is that God in His love continues to reach out to us, and we receive glimpses of shalom. When the Biblical writers speak of peace, they mean this fully developed experience of wholeness. Right now we taste and experience this in part, but we will enjoy it in full when Jesus returns and makes everything new (Revelation 21:1-5).

Bible verses about peace

There are numerous Bible verses about peace, and what is often remarkable is that even in difficult circumstances, people can have a taste of the wholeness God has in store for His people. It’s possible to experience a sense of calm, freedom, and abundance even when you’re in prison, which was the apostle Paul’s experience.

That is why in one place, Paul talks about God’s peace that transcends all understanding. Somehow, even when our circumstances aren’t optimal for survival, let alone flourishing, God can bless a person and enable them to thrive and be joyful, to taste and see God’s abundance.

Below are a few Bible verses about peace:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6, NIV

This prophecy uttered 700 years before the birth of Jesus, speaks to the birth of a child to whom it’s appropriate to append these lofty titles. Jesus came into the world, and His purpose in doing so was to reconcile us to God and restore all that our first parents Adam and Eve lost through their rebellion.

Ephesians 2 speaks of Jesus’ death on the cross as the way He destroyed the hostility that existed between peoples. “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” (Ephesians 2:14, NIV) and “He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:17-18, NIV)

Through Jesus, who is our peace, our relationship with God has been restored, and we have been reconciled to others whom we would have once considered enemies. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, brings us wholeness, which enables us to extend that shalom to others in how we live and interact with them.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33, NIV

Jesus said these words to His followers on the night he was betrayed and arrested. The following morning, He was crucified and died. It seems strange for Jesus to say that He’s overcome the world just as it seems the world is overcoming Him. However, God works in unexpected ways, and through the cross, He was overcoming the world.

This did not occur by overwhelming it with force, but by demonstrating a love that is strong enough to overcome death itself. Jesus is crowned with thorns, receives His royal robes as He’s being mocked and beaten by His guards, and the plaque above His cross read “This is the King of the Jews.”

By any measure, Jesus’ death seems like a defeat, but it was a victory. “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15, NIV).

He showed evil for what it truly was, it did its worst to Him, but He rose from the dead. Jesus told His disciples all that was to come so they would have peace despite the troubles that would inevitably come. They can be at peace because He overcame the world. The worst it could do could not destroy Him, and His disciples can thus flourish in even the most inhospitable conditions, as Paul does in prison.

Jesus’ peace, a peace that brings wholeness even while we are going through hard times, can be what guides the lives of His followers. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15, NIV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:6-9, NIV

Paul, who was shipwrecked, publicly flogged, stoned half to death, betrayed by friends, and imprisoned (among other things), penned these words while sitting in prison for the sake of Jesus’ message about the Kingdom of God. In whatever circumstances Jesus’ people find themselves, they can be at peace and experience wholeness and freedom from anxiety because God’s peace is mind-blowing and goes beyond anything we can imagine.

Instead of being constrained by circumstances, God’s peace can reach us and sustain us even when the world is falling apart around us. That is comforting. God is the God of peace. That is what He desires for us, and we can cultivate habits that enable us to experience that peace.

Those habits enable us to keep in step with the Holy Spirit, and they allow His fruit to abound in our lives. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV)

God’s peace is a precious gift in a world that’s turbulent and filled with strife and pain. There may be areas of your life that God’s peace needs to permeate. If your relationships are marked by anger or fear, or you understand and relate to yourself and others in unhealthy ways that undermine your flourishing, it may be helpful to have a skillful guide that can help you understand all that God has made available to you.

If you’re looking for additional support beyond these Bible verses about peace, contact Irvine Christian Counseling today. With the help of a Christian counselor in Irvine, you can experience wholeness and flourishing. It’s possible to grow in emotional resilience, learn how to communicate better with others, and resolve conflict effectively.

God wants you to experience His peace in your life. It is okay to seek help to learn how to find that peace for yourself and make it a reality in your daily life. Connect with the reception team at Irvine Christian Counseling to start today.