- In turbulent and sometimes frightening times, the Savior’s promise of infinite and eternal peace resonates with special power to us, just as His ability to calm the crashing waves must have profoundly affected those who were with Him on the Sea of Galilee that stormy night so long ago.
- Like those who were alive at the time of His mortal ministry, there are some among us who look for physical peace and prosperity as signs of the Savior’s wondrous power. We sometimes fail to understand that the everlasting peace Jesus promises is an inner peace, born in faith, anchored by testimony, nurtured with love, and expressed through continual obedience and repentance. It is a peace of spirit that echoes through the heart and the soul. If one truly knows and experiences this inner peace, there is no fear from worldly disharmony or discord. One knows deep down inside that all is well as far as the things that really matter are concerned.
President Hinckley addressed this same topic the night before in the priesthood session. Elder Ballard quotes President Hinckley:
- As President Hinckley instructed the brethren last night, there is no peace in sin. There may be ease, popularity, fame, and even prosperity, but there is no peace. “Wickedness never was happiness.” One cannot be at peace if one is living a life out of harmony with revealed truth. There is no peace in being mean-spirited or contentious. There is no peace in vulgarity, promiscuity, or permissiveness. There is no peace in addiction to drugs, alcohol, or pornography. There is no peace in being abusive to others in any way, whether it be emotionally, physically, or sexually, for those who are abusive will remain in mental and spiritual turmoil until they come to Christ in all humility and seek forgiveness through complete repentance.
Peace comes to us in the form of the Light of Christ. Peace can be given to member and non-member as we all strive to do the things the Lord would have us do in life.
- At one time or another I believe everyone yearns for the “peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” That peace for our troubled hearts only comes to us as we follow the Light of Christ, which is “given to every man, that he may know good from evil,” as it leads us to repent of sins and seek forgiveness.
Elder Ballard says that real peace is found in following the teachings of Jesus Christ.
- Peace—real peace, whole-souled to the very core of your being—comes only in and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When that precious truth is discovered and gospel principles are understood and applied, great peace can distill in the hearts and souls of our Heavenly Father’s children.
He concludes with hope that we will share the peace that we have found in our lives with others. Our example is the greatest thing we have to share with the world. We need to show the world the peace the Savior offers to each of us.
- God’s peace is not to be hoarded. Rather, it is to be shared liberally with our families, our friends, and our communities. It is to be shared with the Church as well as those who are not members of our Church. While those around us may not choose to taste the sweetness and peace of the fulness of the restored gospel for themselves, surely they will be blessed by seeing it in our lives and feeling the peace of the gospel in our presence. The message of peace will grow and expand through our example.
I am a firm believer that peace in our lives is only found when we are living the standards of the gospel. There is no peace in sin and no peace in rejecting the Savior. I have found in my life, that when I am in need of additional guidance, when I need help to solve a problem in my life, I can find that assistance as I draw closer to the Savior. His great love blesses us when we turn to Him and seek to become closer to Him and follow His example. Test it out, the next time you have trials in your life, seek to turn to the Lord quickly and the trial will be decreased as you focus on the Savior.