When I was young, we would hog hunt on the cool nights of the fall. Sometimes, we would turn off the trucks and listen for the dog's barks and yelps. Strange as it may sound, there was a kind of peace in those moments. There was not much light pollution then, and the moon was a friendly source of light, splashing through the trees. On those crisp, clear nights, the stars were glittering diamonds of light strewn across a black velvet sky. Listening for the dogs, I would look up into the night and have a great wonderment at the vast universe. God was near. There was a peace in the grandness of his universe and the quiet of the night. 

The first time I went to Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I walked the meadows beside a stream bouncing over the rocks and pebbles. That feeling of peace came upon me. There was such beauty in the sound of the water, the feeling of the gentle breeze, and the view of rising mountains.   I thought how amazing it was that God could make a place as beautiful as this. If God could do this, what kind of beauty did he want to create in my soul? I felt the great peace of God in the beauty of the valley. 

My youngest child had a great many ear infections before she turned two. She would only sleep if she was rocked. I usually took the 2:00 AM shift. I would rock her in my big recliner. Her little body would relax, and her fingers would curl around one of my fingers. She changed from a child in pain to a child at rest. There was something in her rest that brought my soul peace. I learned to sleep while rocking her back and forth. I thought about how God holds me and calms me. Her rest reminded me of the peaceful rest I find with Jesus. 

I remember sitting with a woman who was dying in the hospital. She was not conscious. Her family had stepped out for rest. I told them I would be glad to sit with their loved one for an hour. After a half-hour, the nurse came in, checked her vitals, and told me it would not be long. This was before cell phones, so I had no way to contact the woman's family. Instead, I held this woman's hand and prayed out loud for her. Her heart monitor showed a longer interval between her heartbeats. Then, the idea struck me that I should sing. In a soft voice, I sang to her the old hymns: Amazing Grace, Blessed Assurance, It is Well with My Soul, and This is My Father's World. Her breathing stopped. Her heart monitor flat-lined. A peace came over the room. This woman, a follower of Jesus, went home. I thought about how the hope of Jesus brings such deep peace that though I was not dying, I could feel the peace and hope from the one crossing over. 

About three years ago, a threat came into my life. The details are not important. There was enormous pressure building inside my soul. I was making a long trip, and the situation and possible outcomes felt overwhelming. I was praying for a specific outcome, but the pressure continued to build. Then I remembered Philippians 4:6-7: "Be anxious for nothing, but with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." I began to say these two verses over and over. For almost 50 miles, I repeated them. The pressure began to drop. I felt like I truly put the matter in God's hands. I could not control outcomes or the actions of others. I could only surrender my anxiety to God.   Peace came to me. That situation lost its power over my mind and my feelings. Surrender brought the peace I needed. 

God does not want you to have only moments of peace; he wants you to have a life of peace. I will not pretend that I have this peace every moment. What I do know is when the peace of God guards my heart, life is better. To have this peace, see what a great God we have, to create a vast universe, and to create places of great beauty. Find rest in God's presence. Feel the hope God grants to all who believe. Surrender. There is a god in the universe, and that God is not you. A pastor wrote in a book, "I live with greater peace ever since I resigned from being in charge of the universe." Wisdom for all. 

Pause. Think about God's peace. Live there.