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Business, Busyness and the Peace of God

July 13th, 2010 by blog

by Neil Peet

I work a lot. Ok, I admit it… I probably work too much. In the business world (and in general here in Toronto) we tend to wear our busyness as a badge of honour. It is almost a competition to see who works longer hours or has a more hectic schedule. How often have you felt the peace of God? When was the last time you truly rested: physically, emotionally, spiritually?

Jesus talked a lot about Peace and Rest:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”
~ Matthew 11:28-30

However, if we look at Jesus’ life, we do not necessarily see a man who appeared to be at peace as we define it today. He was constantly preaching and healing, surrounded by crowds of needy people who were desperate for his physical and spiritual presence. When he was not preaching and teaching, he was generally traveling to the next town in Israel. How did he deal with with all the public pressure to perform 24/7? In Luke 4 verses 38-40 we see an example of Jesus visiting Peter’s house in Capernaum after preaching all day long. The people of the town discovered he was there and did not even allow him to eat, demanding healing and teaching. Talk about not getting any rest! The next morning Jesus leaves early and goes out into a solitary place … to do what? To sleep, read a book, watch some TV, get some “me” time? No, throughout his ministry on earth, Jesus often leaves the crowds to go and connect with God, the source of his energy and peace. Notice how when he returns he immediately sets off to continue teaching and preaching to all of Israel.

If we want to truly experience the peace of God, I think this is something we can take to heart. Sometimes in the busyness of this world, the only peace we have is the inner peace which comes from being close to God. And the only way to maintain or recharge this peace is by taking a step away from our lives and reconnecting with the source of peace: God. Filling ourselves with self-indulgence, no matter how well-intentioned, is temporary and ultimately just won’t cut it or enable us to continue pouring ourselves out for others in this busy world.

When Elijah was called to meet God in 1 Kings 19:11-13 first he saw a powerful wind, an earthquake, and fire, but the Lord was not there. God came after in the gentle whisper, in the stillness. How often do we long for God to come into our lives with a powerful wind or an earthquake and just shake things up to make everything right? How often all we need is the gentle whisper, the abiding peace of God to fill our hearts.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
~ Philippians 4:7
I have included the following quotation from Paul Miller which can be found in his book, “A Praying Life” because it so wonderfully captures some of the implications of what I have been talking about.

“If we love people and have the power to help, then we are going to be busy. Learning to pray doesn’t offer us a less busy life; it offers us a less busy heart. In the midst of outer busyness we can develop an inner quiet. Because we are less hectic on the inside, we have a greater capacity to love . . . and thus to be busy, which in turn drives us even more into a life of prayer. By spending time with our Father in prayer, we integrate our lives with his, with what he is doing in us. Our lives become more coherent. They feel calmer, more ordered, even in the midst of confusion and pressure.” Paul Miller, A Praying Life.

What things could you be challenged to do for God if you dwelt in His peace?