It is difficult to hold on to your peace when you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed. Yet, that is what the people of God were told to do in Exodus 14: 14: “The Lord will fight for you and you have to only hold onto your peace.”
Our peace is our sense of calmness. It is the absence of war on the outside of us and, better yet, inside of us. It is the confidence that we can handle whatever is coming our way. Exodus 14:14 tells us we can handle it because God is fighting for us. Wow!
When problems and stressors come our way I can imagine each of us taking our peace, holding it in our hands and saying, “This is going to work out…I can handle this…other people will help me… The Lord will fight for me and I only have to hold onto my peace”. Those are some reassuring words.
I recently read a devotion that said, “In the Bible, people are told to hold their peace, because peace is a place of power. God tells us not to be moved when our opponents and adversaries come against us. We are to remain constant, fearless and at peace. His Word says, ‘The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and be at rest’” (The Bible, Amplified Version).
Most Bible versions translate this verse to say, “The Lord will fight for you and you only have to keep still”. The words “hold onto your peace” help me to see more clearly what I need to do while I am being still.
Might this be “the peace of God that passes all understanding”?
And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still.
2 Chronicles 20
v. 15 Fear not, and be not dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours but God’s.
v. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle; Set yourself, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not and be not dismayed; tomorrow go out against them and the Lord will be with you.
Philippians 4:6-8 TPT
Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.
Trust that things will work out for your good, even if they look bad.
I hope today that we can “hold onto our peace”. A recent devotion I read speaks of the importance of doing so. The devotion quotes Moses’ words to the Israelites when they had a very anxious moment. It was the occasion when they were sitting next to the Red Sea and they saw the Egyptians coming towards them. Moses’ words were “The Lord will fight for you and you are to hold your peace”.
I understand our peace as our inner calmness, our confidence that we are able to handle the difficulties of our lives, that God and other people will help us, that we will make it through the situation. It also comes from focusing on one thing at a time rather than trying to take on too many things at once.
Holding onto our peace can be very difficult when life gets difficult. But doing so helps us think more clearly about our course of action. Holding onto our peace also frees us from the negative effects of stress. Remembering that God is present to help us will help us to hold our peace. Remembering that I am not responsible for everything also helps me to hold my peace. If I can hold my peace until the anxiety passes my mind becomes clearer as to my options. Sharing my anxiety with someone who cares for me also helps me to “hold my peace”.
When I hear the words, “hold my peace”, I visualize taking my peace and holding it in my hands. I can feel the security and warmth of my hands. My anxiety begins to settle down and my peace grows strong and secure.
I hope today we can hold onto our peace!
