Finding True Peace Through Trust in God

 

Summary

In the quiet moments of early morning, when darkness still enveloped the world, I found myself in a period of profound personal turmoil. It was a time when the weight of life's challenges seemed unbearable, and the future appeared bleak. In this moment of desperation, I sought solace in the words of Dallas Willard from his book, "Renovation of the Heart." Willard's definition of peace as "the rest of will that comes from a settled assurance about how things will turn out" became a lifeline for me. This peace is not a passive state but an active engagement with the good, coupled with the assurance that things will ultimately be well.

The concept of peace is often misunderstood. Many associate it with death, thinking of it as an escape from life's pains. However, true peace is a state of being alive and well, not merely the absence of conflict or struggle. It involves releasing control over outcomes and trusting in God's sovereignty. This is akin to the act of bowling, where once the ball is released, we must let go of the desire to control its path. Our lives are not meant to be burdened by the outcomes we cannot control.

Worry, a common affliction, exacerbates our problems rather than solving them. It is contagious, spreading anxiety among those around us. True peace with God comes from accepting His gift of life through His Son, freeing us from the need to justify ourselves. This acceptance allows us to celebrate our inadequacies, recognizing that we are not meant to carry the burdens of life alone.

The secret to peace lies in being abandoned to God, trusting in His greatness and sovereignty. As we let go of our burdens and concerns, we find freedom in His presence. The poem by Sydney Lanier beautifully captures this sentiment, encouraging us to build our lives on the greatness of God, much like the marsh hen builds its nest on the watery sod. By rooting ourselves in God's greatness, we can experience true peace and guard our hearts against the anxieties of life.

Key Takeaways:

- Peace is not merely the absence of conflict but an active engagement with good, coupled with the assurance that things will turn out well. It requires releasing control over outcomes and trusting in God's sovereignty. [02:34]

- True peace is a state of being alive and well, not an escape from life's pains. It involves letting go of the desire to control life's outcomes, much like releasing a bowling ball and trusting its path. [04:11]

- Worry is contagious and exacerbates our problems. True peace with God comes from accepting His gift of life, freeing us from the need to justify ourselves and allowing us to celebrate our inadequacies. [06:23]

- The secret to peace lies in being abandoned to God, trusting in His greatness and sovereignty. This abandonment allows us to find freedom in His presence and experience true peace. [09:19]

- By rooting ourselves in God's greatness, we can experience true peace and guard our hearts against life's anxieties. This involves building our lives on the foundation of His greatness, much like the marsh hen builds its nest. [10:42]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:56] - Introduction
[01:10] - A Moment of Desperation
[01:42] - The Gift of Peace
[02:18] - Active Engagement with Good
[02:34] - Misunderstanding Peace
[03:06] - Releasing Control
[04:11] - The Bowling Analogy
[05:10] - Levels of Peace
[05:42] - The Burden of Worry
[06:23] - Peace with God
[07:13] - The Centipede's Dilemma
[08:26] - Hyper Reflection
[09:19] - Abandonment to God
[10:42] - Rooted in God's Greatness
[11:10] - Closing Remarks

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) - "Do 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."
2. Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV) - "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

Observation Questions:
1. According to the sermon, how does Dallas Willard define peace, and why was this definition significant to the speaker during a time of personal turmoil? [01:57]
2. What analogy does the speaker use to describe the act of releasing control over life's outcomes, and how does it relate to the concept of peace? [04:11]
3. How does the speaker describe the contagious nature of worry, and what example is given to illustrate this point? [05:55]
4. What does the speaker suggest is the secret to experiencing true peace, and how is this related to one's relationship with God? [09:19]

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the definition of peace as "the rest of will that comes from a settled assurance about how things will turn out" challenge common misconceptions about peace? [02:18]
2. In what ways does the analogy of bowling help illustrate the concept of releasing control over outcomes in our lives? How might this apply to everyday situations? [04:11]
3. How does the speaker's description of worry as contagious impact the way we understand our influence on others, especially in a community or family setting? [05:55]
4. What does it mean to be "abandoned to God," and how might this abandonment lead to a deeper sense of peace in one's life? [09:19]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt overwhelmed by life's challenges. How might the concept of peace as an active engagement with good, rather than a passive state, change your approach to similar situations in the future? [02:34]
2. Consider the analogy of bowling. What is one area of your life where you need to "release the ball" and trust in God's sovereignty? How can you practice this release this week? [04:11]
3. Worry is described as contagious. How can you be more mindful of the way your own anxieties might affect those around you? What steps can you take to cultivate a more peaceful presence? [05:55]
4. The speaker mentions celebrating personal inadequacies as part of finding peace. How can you embrace your own limitations and rely more on God's strength in your daily life? [06:39]
5. The poem by Sydney Lanier encourages building our lives on the greatness of God. What practical steps can you take to root yourself more deeply in God's greatness and guard your heart against anxiety? [10:42]
6. Reflect on Philippians 4:6-7. How can you incorporate prayer and thanksgiving into your daily routine to experience the peace of God more fully?
7. In light of Matthew 6:25-27, identify one specific worry you have about the future. How can you shift your focus from this worry to trusting in God's provision and care?

Devotional

Day 1: Active Engagement with Good
True peace is not simply the absence of conflict or struggle; it is an active engagement with the good, coupled with the assurance that things will ultimately turn out well. This peace requires releasing control over outcomes and trusting in God's sovereignty. It is a dynamic state of being that involves participating in the goodness around us and having faith that, despite the challenges we face, there is a divine plan at work. By letting go of our need to control every aspect of our lives, we open ourselves to the peace that comes from trusting in a higher power. [02:34]

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are struggling to release control? How can you actively engage with the good in that situation today?


Day 2: Trusting the Path
True peace is a state of being alive and well, not an escape from life's pains. It involves letting go of the desire to control life's outcomes, much like releasing a bowling ball and trusting its path. This analogy illustrates the importance of surrendering our need to dictate every detail of our lives and instead trusting that the path we are on is guided by a higher power. By doing so, we can experience a sense of freedom and peace, knowing that we are not alone in our journey. [04:11]

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act." (Psalm 37:5, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a situation where you are trying to control the outcome. What would it look like to release it to God and trust the path He has set for you?


Day 3: Freedom from Worry
Worry is contagious and exacerbates our problems rather than solving them. True peace with God comes from accepting His gift of life, freeing us from the need to justify ourselves and allowing us to celebrate our inadequacies. By embracing our limitations and trusting in God's grace, we can find peace in knowing that we are not meant to carry the burdens of life alone. This acceptance allows us to live more fully and joyfully, free from the anxiety that worry brings. [06:23]

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." (Psalm 55:22, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a worry that has been weighing you down. How can you cast this burden onto God today and find freedom in His peace?


Day 4: Abandonment to God
The secret to peace lies in being abandoned to God, trusting in His greatness and sovereignty. This abandonment allows us to find freedom in His presence and experience true peace. By surrendering our fears and concerns to God, we can rest in the assurance that He is in control and that His plans for us are good. This trust in God's sovereignty enables us to live with a sense of peace and confidence, knowing that we are held in His loving hands. [09:19]

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: What is one fear or concern you need to surrender to God? How can you practice abandonment to Him in your daily life?


Day 5: Rooted in God's Greatness
By rooting ourselves in God's greatness, we can experience true peace and guard our hearts against life's anxieties. This involves building our lives on the foundation of His greatness, much like the marsh hen builds its nest on the watery sod. When we anchor our lives in God's strength and sovereignty, we are better equipped to face the challenges and uncertainties of life with peace and confidence. This rootedness in God provides a stable foundation that sustains us through life's storms. [10:42]

"He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." (Psalm 1:3, ESV)

Reflection: How can you root yourself more deeply in God's greatness today? What practices can help you build your life on His foundation?

Quotes


Peace, he says, is the rest of will that comes from a settled Assurance about how things will turn out and I read those words over and over and over and over again and it was such a gift to me to think peace actually is available even in the middle of circumstances that are the opposite of peace that are cha and fear inducing. [00:01:59]

Peace is always a form of active engagement with good plus assurance that things will turn out well you know this throws us back on God because nobody else can do that the dead are often spoken of as at peace but they are not at peace to be dead is not to be peaceful they're not at peace unless they are actually alive and doing well. [00:02:34]

I am not the one in control of outcomes, and that's a good thing but now this requires another way of living I will often think about people bowling in this regard if you ever watch somebody bowling uh they release the ball and then it's the most interesting thing the ball's out of their hand so there's nothing they can do. [00:03:54]

The Secret of uh joyful bowling is when you let it go let it go we were not meant to live carrying the burdens of outcomes this gets deeply to peace of course everyone is at peace about some things Dallas writes one hopes everyone's a peace about some things but few have peace in general and few are still have peace that reaches their body. [00:04:31]

Peace with God comes only from acceptance of his gift of life in his son we are then assured of the outcome of our life we are then assured of the outcome of our life and no longer trying to justify ourselves before God or others we've accepted that we are not righteous or even totally competent and that we cannot be so on our own. [00:06:19]

We celebrate personal inadequacy we were not made to worry and worry actually simply increases all of our problems there was a poem that was popular well over a hundred years ago called the centipedes dilemma that gets to the problem that worry does creates in us the centipede was quite Serene until a toaden fun said pray which leg moves after which. [00:06:49]

Sometimes our problem is not that we don't think it's that we can't stop thinking and ultimately ultimately either I will reflect on my situation as it exists apart from God what will happen to me what will happen to our world and then you want to think about are there forces in your life that are prompting you to even more hyper reflection. [00:08:30]

The secret to this piece Dallas writes is as great apprentices of Jesus have known being abandoned to God the person who is hearly abandoned to God knows that all shall be well because God is in charge of his or her life my peace is the greatness of God and I want to leave you with one more poem a much better one than the centipedes dilemma. [00:09:13]

Take a moment take a deep breath let go of all your burdens all the outcomes all the concerns and let the greatness of God become present to your mind right now as the marsh hen secretly Builds on the watery sod behold I will build me a nest on the greatness of God I will fly in the greatness of God as the marsh hen flies. [00:10:02]

By so many roots as the Marsh Grass sends in the sod I will heartily lay me a hold on the greatness of God be rooted have peace guard your heart. [00:10:31]

Most people carry heavy burdens of care usually about things that are important in life well what happen to their loved ones their finances Health death their physical appearance what other think of them the future of society and of course worry is deeply contagious more contagious than covid is I think of a leader that that I know. [00:05:39]

He had a need for them to be anxious so he would feel like they would do what he wanted them to do peace with God comes only from acceptance of his gift of life in his son we are then assured of the outcome of our life we are then assured of the outcome of our life and no longer trying to justify ourselves before God or others. [00:06:23]

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Transcript
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