Fruits of the Spirit Series: Peace

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Sunguk Kim

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...."

~Galatians 5:22a

In our series on the fruits of the Spirit, we come now to the fruit of peace. 

This is one of the fruits that can sometimes seem especially hard to possess in times like these when there seems to be an exceptional lack of peace everywhere we turn. From national strife between countries to personal discord between people who think differently or live differently from one another, peace can oftentimes feel like the last thing we could ever hope to find or possess.

But, as with the other fruits we are studying throughout this series together, that is the whole point, isn't it? So often is seems impossible to possess or to cultivate these fruits because, humanly speaking, it is! They are the fruits of the Spirit, not of us, and He is the One Who must cultivate them in us as we walk with Him.

One of my husband's favorite hymns is "It is Well with my Soul", a hymn that has accompanied him especially throughout his military career, from the first hard days of basic training to the challenging days of a deployment during Covid. If you aren't familiar with the story behind the hymn, it is an incredibly powerful one. The hymn-writer, Horatio Spafford, lost his four daughters in 1873 when the ship they were sailing on with their mother sank. Their mother alone survived, and when Horatio traveled to meet with his grieving wife after the accident, he penned the hymn's lyrics right as he was passing near the site of the tragedy.

Can you imagine?

I used to not be able to. How could he say it was well with his soul? As a mother, I couldn't fathom it. Except for this fact: saying it is well with your soul is not the same as saying it is well with your circumstances. It is not the same as saying that all is going well in your life, that your life is free from tragedy, hardship, and pain. It is saying that all is well with your soul - it is saying that you have an inner peace and calmness of spirit because you know that your soul is eternally safe and cared for by your Savior and heaven is what is awaiting you. 

And that is how we can have peace no matter what this life or this culture or this time in history throw at us. Which brings me to one of my favorite passages of Scripture, Philippians 4:6-7:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." 

Paul readily admits here that this kind of peace defies and surpasses all human understanding. Humanly, it just doesn't make sense. But that is because it is a supernatural peace from a supernatural God. 

We see this clearly in the definition of the Greek word that is translated as "peace" in both Galatians 5 and Philippians 4. It is the Greek word, eirēnē, a couple of the definitions of which are as follows:

• security, safety, prosperity, felicity
• the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is
• peace, quietness, rest

Isn't that beautiful? Our inheritance as daughters of God, as followers of Christ, is that we get to experience a deep-seated inner quietness, rest, peace, harmony, and felicity that can be ours no matter what, for it defies human logic. No matter what may come our way, no matter what our lot in life, the peace of the Spirit is ours for the taking, for it is eternally well with our souls.

Reflection Questions:

1)  What stood out to you from today's study?

2) In what are of your life are you lacking peace right now? How can you walk by the Spirit in that area and watch Him cultivate peace in your life?

3) How can you encourage someone else with what you have learned today?