In order to find real peace, we need to do two things: 1) Live by the principles of God’s Word. ‘Great peace have those who love your law.’ Peace arrives when we live in harmony with God. A new car comes with an owner’s manual. It tells you that for your car to perform well, you must do certain things at certain times. The Bible is like our owner’s manual for life. It contains guiding principles for money, health, work, relationships, and so much more. Just as a car drives more smoothly when you use it according to its design, so life will go more smoothly when you live it according to God’s design. 2) Accept God’s pardon. Guilt is the top destroyer of peace. When we feel guilty, we feel haunted by our past. That’s why we read about people who make amends for a wrong they committed thirty years earlier. They say, ‘I was living in hell all those years and had to get it off my chest.’ The only way to have peace is to have a clear conscience, and only God is able to give us that. ‘Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives…transgression?…You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy’ (Micah 7:18 NIV). Notice, Micah reveals God is eager – ready and waiting – to clean our slatse. It’s His personality. He enjoys forgiving. He owns a big eraser. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9 NIV).
