What is it that makes you feel at peace with the world you inhabit? Is it relationships that are working or maybe that sense of practical achievement that everything is ready for the season ahead? And what about that sustained emotional and psychological sense of well-being which, for many people, constantly eludes them? There are occasions in our lives when we feel right with the world and other times when, with what life throws at us, we feel anxious, confused or in other words at war with the world. Perhaps we can pause right now to look back on our own life-stories and reflect on periods when we knew the greatest times of peace. Was it during periods of fulfilment for ourselves or our families or maybe we have a distinct memory of an epiphany moment when we realized the enormity of the Love of God which brought with it a great sense of peace?
When the river of life runs wild nevertheless peaceful under-currents of trust in God can also keep us afloat, despite turbulence and uncertainty swirling around us. One such example of this was of course in the life-story of the presbyterian elder who penned the hymn with its famous chorus line 'it is well with my soul'. This statement of hope and faith in God’s abiding peace was written when Horatio Spafford was struggling with the tragedy of losing his daughters in a seafaring disaster. How could it possibly be well with his soul when sorrows like sea billows were rolling? The answer lies in Paul's letter to the believers in Philippi - 'May the peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in the knowledge of His Son Christ Jesus'
To be At Peace then is to trust with our hearts that Christ is indeed King and to realign our minds with the promise that just as Mary cradled her baby Jesus, the Prince of Peace, God Almighty has us in his embrace. Looking to the author of this promised peace instead of thrashing around trying to answer the questions our mind poses at times of stress, reassures us that God is sovereign, however impossible that may look to our mind’s eye. If the circumstances of our lives are horrendous what else can we do than to look to Christ and benefit from the Holy Spirit’s ministry as Comforter? The disciple Peter, an eyewitness to Christ’s power knew this to be true - “To whom else shall we go for you alone have the words of eternal life?” The words of St Augustine too surely are worth repeating in this context that 'We are restless until we rest in You oh God'. As we take time out to relax with hobbies and rest in the promises of God to 'restore our soul', especially when we are hurting, we rekindle the healing process to wholeness and peace so we may rejoice and sing ‘It is well with my soul.’