Bible Verses About Peace

Peace is something that everyone seems to be looking for. People often deal with all kinds of chaos, unrest, difficulties, trouble, and despair almost on a daily basis … from losing a job, friend or spouse to being diagnosed with a devastating disease or being involved in an accident, there are so many things that can turn our world upside down and try to steal our peace.

When you don’t have peace, you can have difficulty sleeping at night or maintaining good relationships. It’s critical to have peace when you need to make important or even simple decisions; without peace, you may be unsure about which choice to make or which direction to go.

World peace is something that countries strive to maintain so war doesn’t break out. Likewise, keeping the peace between family, friends, and coworkers can sometimes feel like a full time job. But the price we pay for peace is worth it and enjoyed by everyone involved.

The Bible has a lot to say about peace, and God wants us to enjoy peace even when we’re going through struggles. Do you think that’s even possible? It sure is!

But we must achieve peace in God’s way, not ours. Some people turn to drugs, alcohol, or other unhealthy choices hoping to find peace in their mind and soul, but often, these things usually just make things worse.

Peace in the Midst of Trouble

One of the most encouraging scriptures in the Bible about peace is found in John 16:33. Jesus was teaching His disciples and explaining how they would face difficulties, sorrow, and grief. But He promised that in Him they would have peace because He had overcome the world.

So what’s the first key to finding peace in the midst of trouble? Remaining in Christ. If we try to face our problems on our own—in our own strength—then it’s likely our problems will overtake us. But if we remain in Jesus during the trials and tribulations, then we will experience “good cheer” because we know that nothing is too hard for Him!

So don’t try to handle your problems on your own. Philippians 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:7 tell us that we shouldn’t worry about anything; instead, we should give all our troubles to the Lord because He cares about us. He cares about everything we are going through, no matter how big or small.

Does it seem unbelievable that the God of the universe could care about little, old you? Even if it’s hard to believe, it’s true! He cares about your worries, your bank account, your relationships, your job, your children, your hopes and dreams … it all matters to Him!

And the best part is, you can trust Him with whatever is troubling you. It’s like the best trade of your life—sports teams trade players and investors trade stocks—but God promises to trade His peace for your trouble. What a deal, right? So what are you waiting for? He’s waiting to exchange your worries, fears, and struggles for His immeasurable peace! You just have to make the decision to trust Him with your difficulties and receive His peace in their place.

Making Decisions

We make all kinds of decisions every day—some large and some small. We don’t want to feel anxious or unsure about our decisions; we want to have peace about what we decide to do. In 2 Thessalonians 3:16, it says that the Lord of peace will give us peace in every way and at all times. Isn’t that great news?

We don’t have to worry about making the right decision because the Lord of peace—the one who invented peace—promises to give us peace every moment of every day. When we aren’t sure what to do or which way to turn, God’s peace will lead us. God’s peace will show us the way. When we aren’t sure what to say or what to believe, God’s peace is there to guide us.

All we have to do is seek Him and trust Him to lead us in the way we should go. If we sense His peace then we know we’re on the right track. If we don’t sense His peace, then we need to reconsider our path.

Above all, we need to remember that God wants to help us make good decisions. He doesn’t want us to fret and worry. According to 1 Corinthians 14:33, if we feel confused about what to do, then God isn’t in it. God speaks to us through peace, not confusion. In fact, feelings of confusion are often a red flag that whatever we’re doing probably isn’t the way God is leading.

Dealing with Anxiety

Many people deal with anxiety on a regular basis. Some deal with mild symptoms while others suffer from more serious conditions. Anxiety is the opposite of peace, and anxiety is not God’s will for our lives. God wants us to walk in freedom, hope, and peace, not be bound by the chains of worry, fear, and anxiety.

But as you may know, God asks us to participate in our salvation. He asks us to demonstrate our faith by what we do (James 2). That means we need to do something to cultivate peace and resist anxiety. Isaiah 26:3 talks about the importance of keeping our mind focused on the Lord; when we fix our thoughts on Him, thoughts of worry and anxiety are pushed aside, and we experience peace instead.

Isaiah 26:3 also emphasizes how trusting the Lord leads to peace. When we trust in ourselves, other people, our job or finances, our abilities or talents, or anything or anyone else, anxiety is sure to set in. All these things are changeable, unpredictable, and unstable. The only one who is unchanging, totally stable, and completely trustworthy is God. We can achieve peace and avoid anxious feelings when we keep our mind on who God is and how faithful He is.

When we deal with anxiety, we can also have trouble sleeping at night. Our thoughts and worries just won’t leave us alone, and rest eludes us. This can lead to extreme fatigue and health problems which makes it even harder to deal with life day to day. But according to Psalm 4:8, we can have peaceful sleep because we understand that we are safe in God’s arms. Releasing our cares and anxious thoughts to Him before we lie down helps us feel secure knowing that He’s handling our problems. He’s in charge. He won’t let us down. We can relax completely—peacefully—knowing that we don’t need to worry about a thing.

Peace in Relationships

One of the most important places to have peace in in our relationships. If you’re struggling with tension, misunderstandings, miscommunication, or hurt feelings in your relationships, then you’re probably not enjoying peace with others. It can be stressful dealing with relationships that are not full of peace. So what do you do?

Thankfully, the Bible says a lot about how to have peaceful relationships. For example, 1 Peter 3:11 says we need to pursue and seek peace. That means we can’t just sit back and hope peace somehow happens—we need to actively work to make it happen. Likewise, we can’t wait for the other person to act; we need to take responsibility for our part in creating peaceful relationships.

This means that sometimes we may have to take the high road. We might need to offer a humble apology or forgiveness (even if the other person hasn’t apologized). We may need to swallow our pride and choose kindness even when the other person has been cruel. Receiving strength and power from the Holy Spirit is critical because we often cannot do these things on our own—we need His grace to empower us to do what we can’t on our own.

Even when we’re attempting to do the right things, we can’t control what others do. We can only control what we do and what our responses are. With God’s help, we can respond in a peaceful way when others don’t. We can actually walk in peace during stressful, chaotic situations.

Romans 12:18 supports this idea of living at peace with everyone as much as it depends on us. No matter how hard we try to make peace with people, there may be some that simply refuse to live peacefully with us. So what do we do? We keep doing what’s right no matter what the other person does. We walk humbly and treat them the way we would want to be treated. We honor them even if they don’t treat us with honor. In this way, we can have peace in our heart toward that person even if there isn’t peace between the two people.

The Benefits of Peace

When we make peace a priority in life, there are benefits. Not only do we enjoy better relationships but also Matthew 5:9 says that those who make peace with others are God’s children! Why? Because God is a peacemaker. He made peace with humanity when He offered His Son Jesus Christ on the cross to forgive us of all our sins and make us right with Himself. Before Jesus came, there wasn’t peace between God and man—sin prevented it. When Jesus conquered sin and death, He achieved peace between God and humanity.

When we make peace with others, we’re emulating our heavenly Father. This is the whole reason we are on this planet—to learn how to be more like our Father before we spend eternity with Him. When we learn how to die to ourselves—our desires and our preferences—and make peace with those around us, we not only honor God but we also identify ourselves as His children.

Proverbs 12:20 touches on another benefit of promoting peace: joy! If you feel like you’ve lost your joy or like life just isn’t as enjoyable as it once was, it could be that you need to create more peace in your life. Maybe you need to make peace with your past, with a family member, friend, neighbor, or coworker, with yourself … or even with God. This verse promises that if you will devote yourself to pursuing and promoting peace, then you’ll have joy; on the other hand, if you plan evil, your heart is full of deception. There is no way that you’ll enjoy your life if you’re full of deception, so avoid evil and make peace a priority.

Peace Comes through Believing

Finally, Romans 15:13 gives us the secret to finding peace. We find peace when we believe God—when we trust Him. Does that sound too simple? It’s both simple and profound. It’s simple because believing God means we acknowledge that He’s in charge, not us. And if there’s anyone we can trust to be in charge, it’s God!

Trusting God—not human reasoning, not ourselves, not our finances or status—will lead to peace. The bottom line is this: Peace is born out of believing God will do what He said He would do. When we waver and begin to doubt God, His goodness, or His plan, peace will elude us. It’s in believing God and trusting Him that we find peace.

Still, it can be challenging to totally trust God, especially when we’re facing trouble or difficulties. But if we want to have peace in the midst of the challenge, we must choose to believe God and only God. We must block out all other voices and influences and decide to trust Him no matter what. When we believe God in spite of what our circumstances are, we are walking by faith, not by sight, and we can go through struggles while still maintaining our peace. Why? Because our peace is based on who God is, not what’s going on in or around us.

Reading, studying, and believing God’s Word leads to peace because you’re focused on God’s truth rather than your circumstances. Truth always leads to peace. And peace is possible in this life when we pursue it, trust God, and release our troubles to Him.