With all the negative news, how can we find peace?

by Carol Round – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him, nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”—John 1:1-5 (NIV).

Morning is my favorite time of day. Before I get busy with the demands on my time or unexpected interruptions, my heart longs for the quiet. During this busy season, it’s even more important for me to seek God through His Word.

It is in the quiet I can hear Him speak to my spirit. Hearing His spirit speak, addressing my fears and concerns, I am filled with peace. This peace is unknown to those who aren’t Christ-followers. It’s a peace that defies definition in man’s world.

Even Christians have a limited understanding of the peace that passes understanding. But in Philippians 4:6-7, we’re reminded that we should “not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

A Peace Like No Other

As a journalism major in college, I became a news junkie. My curiosity led me to crave what was going on in the world. One of my nicknames was Curious Carol. I was always asking questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how.

However, before I dedicated my life to Christ almost 20 years ago, I had no real peace. With the constant flow of negative news, how could anyone find hope and peace in our world? And it’s even more depressing in today’s world.

I recall when the phrase was coined by the media: “If it bleeds, it leads.” The expression means, if there’s violence, conflict, or death involved, it gets top billing.

What if Jesus Got Top Billing?

Of all four gospels, John is my favorite. The first five verses bring tears to my eyes and cause me to shiver each time I read them. It’s a mystery. But it also refers us back to Genesis 1. In verses 1-5, we read the following: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness He called ‘night.’ And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.”

In John 8:12, Jesus proclaims, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” Jesus is our light, a light we can follow to find an indescribable peace. I find that indescribable peace when I spend time in His Holy Word. The time I spend with Jesus each morning has increased as this world has become less peaceful.

And I wonder. If we gave Jesus top billing in our lives, would more people come to know the peace that passes understanding? Would the peace we find in reading His promises be reflected in our countenance? Would His light shine through us if we placed our hope in Him and not mankind? If you don’t already start your day with reading and meditating on scripture, I challenge you to get up earlier, before your busy day begins, and find hope and peace within the pages of your Bible.

Photo credit: crosswalk.com