FEELING AN ACHING VOID WITHIN?

You may feel that you are engulfed in an endless sea of waves, coming from nowhere and going nowhere, though you have all the ‘stuff’ of life. Image credit: *MUHMED ALAA EL-BANK* on Unsplash. Representational image.

By REVEREND TONY ZEKVELD

In my relationships with people over the years, many share that they have no peace. A gentleman called me recently and wanted to talk. He was sharing how he feels disturbed and restless. Yes, he’s married, has children, works, and owns a home.

Yet he feels an ‘aching void’, and a feeling of emptiness. He said, “I feel confused about life and the meaning of life. Life’s purpose evades me. I have many questions.”

We talked for an hour. He’s looking for peace as are so many others. They cannot say, “It is well with my soul.” Circumstances in life may be good. One might lack nothing materially – health, wealth and family – and, yet, lack peace. “I’m willing to pay for peace,” says one. And yet another, “I’m willing to go through the sewers, if only I may have peace.”

So it is, you may feel that you are engulfed in an endless sea of waves, coming from nowhere and going nowhere, though you have all the ‘stuff’ of life. Granted, this is a difficult way to live. You are not whole or complete. There is no certainty. Certainty comes with having peace.

To have peace is to be rich, to be full. The word for peace in the Bible is the Hebrew word “Shalom”. It means more than just peace. It means well-being, completeness, and wholeness. There is no fear, no confusion or anxiety in this peace.

So where do we find it?

Because of sin, peace is gone. We need to be made whole and complete. God, in His mercy, summons us to be reconciled to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. You don’t have to pay anything for this peace. Jesus paid for it all by dying on the cross. This peace of God is ours if we trust in Christ alone for our salvation.

The Bible says that Jesus is “the Prince of Peace”. And when we do worry or become anxious, we are to pray to Him. We are to let our requests be made known to God and the promise is that “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.”

When you know Christ, you know peace. You are made whole; you have well-being. Hope, then, is grounded in certainty!

HOPE TRIUMPHS

FEELING AN ACHING VOID WITHIN?