And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…
Monday brought one of those moments where I think I’ve grown, I think I know, I think I’m standing tall, and suddenly I’m crumpled in a pitiful heap on the Rock. I couldn’t have been farther from peace if it was buried under the fountain in downtown Orlando and you had flung me into another galaxy.
If you’ve found yourself there on the floor with me, three things to see here in this bit of Colossians 3:15: And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…
The peace of Christ.
I need the peace of who He is, not the peace of who I am, which can tremble at the slightest wavering breath of happening or fear — so dependent on my ideas of myself and my plans falling into place.
Christ’s peace is carved into the Cornerstone, made possible by the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20). It exists unto itself, and no circumstance can touch it. It emanates from Him and is granted by Him. For He Himself is our peace. (Ephesians 2:14)
If true peace belongs to the Prince of Peace, I should be asking Him daily to share it with me. Instead, I waste that time assembling some rickety self-made version out of spare hopes and shoulds. It never stands.
Let it.
When you ask for peace, He will give it. You will hear a whisper of truth — you will uncover wisdom deep in your heart: forgive, rest, trust, be still.
Let it come. Allow it to happen. Too often, if we can’t have peace on our own terms, drama on our own terms is the next best thing. We push back against truth with “but” and “nothing will help” and “you don’t understand,” barring ourselves from comfort. We’d rather drown clinging to our own version of things than believe Christ wants the best for us.
Rule in your hearts.
The word “rule” here isn’t reign — it’s the call of a referee, deciding whether something is fair or foul.
The best rulings in sports are based on all the information the officials can gather — the truth as seen from every angle. To let peace rule in your heart, you must get to what is true. You must admit your fault, or deeply know your weak ways, or understand that the person who hurt you is just a sinner like you.
Peace without truth is just pretending. It is placation, people-pleasing, self-soothing. It is a blanket over the problem instead of the foundation under it.
Peace can’t rule on lies.
Admit the truth about yourself and others. Know that some situations can only be made right by a Savior. Then let the peace of Christ be the umpire, let it decide, let it make the hard call. Let what He has done determine how you move forward and empower you to make choices of grace in despair.
Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! Psalm 39:12
0 Comments