Peace in a Troubled World

Yehudi Menuhin was one of the great violinists of the twentieth century. To him, playing the violin was a form of human healing, a way to make peace within one-self.1 He said, “Peace may sound simple, . . . but it requires everything we have, every quality, every strength.” 2

Wanting peace is part of our human nature, and it has been sought after since the time of Adam and Eve. But peace in the world can’t happen until we have peaceful communities. And peaceful communities can’t be formed until we find peace in ourselves. Inner peace is the foundation on which external peace is built.

True inner peace comes by turning to God. As we choose to trust Him, exercise faith in Him, and strive to do His will, we can find His peace.3 Sometimes it’s as simple as yielding to a feeling to be still.4 Other times it requires great resolve to act, or not act, in a certain way.5 And yet, in other moments it requires prayerful pleading for peace to enter our heart and to stay with us.6

It takes great effort to develop and cultivate inner peace. Day by day, choice by choice, experience by experience, peace can grow within us. This effort requires real work, even everything we have.

But we don’t have to do it alone! The Prince of Peace Himself once declared: “My peace I give unto you: [but] not as the world giveth. . . . Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” 7 As we receive His peace deep into our hearts, we are changed. We are strengthened. We feel calmness and confidence, even in very challenging circumstances. This same Prince of Peace commanded: “Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” 8

The search for peace, whether for the world or ourselves, begins with a choice—a choice we make within. As we choose peace each day, both by extending it to and receiving it from others, we can experience this “great calm” and rejoice in the invitation to “be still,” even in a troubled world.