Julie Fillinger

Click the play button below to listen to the podcast

https://feeds.transistor.fm/courage-for-the-journey

Scripture Focus:  
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” — Romans 5:1 

A Reflection on Peace and Hope  

Today I am reflecting on peace with God and how deeply it is connected to hope. When I set my mind on heaven—on what God has promised and will surely fulfill—I realize that hope and peace cannot be separated. Hope is not wishful thinking; it is the confident expectation that God will do what He said He would do. And when that hope is fully realized, what remains is perfect peace. 

Yet even now, while I am still walking through this broken world, God allows me to experience glimpses of that eternal peace. It does not mean my circumstances are calm or predictable. It means my heart can rest even when my life feels unsettled.

What Peace Really Means  

Peace is more than a feeling, and it is certainly more than the absence of conflict. Biblical peace begins with reconciliation. I was once separated from God by sin. Because He is holy, He could not overlook it. That truth is sobering—I was helpless and spiritually lost, an enemy of God by nature. 

But God, in His great love, made a way. Through Jesus Christ, I was reconciled to Him. Peace, for me, is the deep tranquility that comes from knowing I have been made right with a holy God. I now stand in grace—not because I earned it, but because it was freely given. From that reconciliation flows wholeness, blessing, and every good gift I have in Christ. 

Living With Peace in a Broken World  

Even though I have peace with God, I still live in a fallen world. I still experience grief, loss, suffering, and the consequences of sin. Perfect peace will not be fully realized until heaven. But even here, I can know freedom from confusion, fear, and inner chaos. 

As I walk this long journey—sometimes through valleys darker than I ever imagined—God continues to teach me to trust Him. Over time, fear loosens its grip. What remains is peace, not because life has become easy, but because God has proven Himself faithful. 

Peace With God vs. the Peace of God  

I have learned that it is essential to distinguish between peace with God and the peace of God. Peace with God happened the moment I trusted Christ, and it never leaves me—even when my emotions are unstable or my faith feels weak. 
The peace of God, however, is something I experience. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in my heart. Sometimes it feels like quiet confidence. Sometimes like a gentle nudge. And sometimes it is an overwhelming calm that arrives when everything else should be falling apart. Scripture calls it “peace that passes all understanding,” and I know that description is true because I have lived it. 

Learning Peace Through Suffering  

One of the clearest moments I experienced this peace was when my son, Nicholas, died. In the midst of devastating loss, an unexplainable calm washed over me. I knew he was with Jesus. I knew there was no better place for him to be. I knew I would see him again. 

That peace did not last forever. In the months and years that followed, I experienced deep grief, loneliness, and spiritual darkness. I cried out to God and felt unheard. I wondered where that peace had gone and what I was doing wrong. My faith was stretched in ways I never expected. 

But even then, God was at work. Over time, I came to see that He was using endurance to grow my trust in Him. I now have memorial stones of His faithfulness—moments I look back on that remind me He has never failed me. 

Trust: The Antidote to Anxiety  

Anxiety feeds on “what ifs.” It keeps my mind fixed on all the possible ways things could go wrong. Peace comes when I remember what is certain: the Lord is near. When I trust Him and lean into prayer, my heart begins to rest. 

Prayer does not remove every trial. Daniel prayed and faced lions. David prayed and faced a giant. Paul prayed from prison. But prayer aligns my heart with the God who is able to sustain me through whatever comes. 

A Mind Stayed on God  

Scripture promises that God keeps in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him. Perfect peace does not come from perfect circumstances. It comes from unwavering trust. When my mind is fixed on who God is—what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do—my heart finds rest. 

Discussion Questions  

1. Peace and Hope  
How would you describe the connection between hope and peace in your own life? When hope feels shaky, how does that affect your sense of peace? 

2. Peace With God vs. Peace of God  
Why is it important to distinguish between peace with God and the peace of God ? Have you experienced one without strongly feeling the other? 

3. Circumstances and Peace  
The devotional emphasizes that peace does not depend on the absence of trouble. What circumstances in your life currently challenge your ability to rest in God’s peace? 

4. Trust and Anxiety  
Anxiety is described as focusing on “what ifs.” What are some “what ifs” that tend to dominate your thoughts? How might trusting God reshape those fears? 

5. Prayer and Peace  
How has prayer helped you experience God’s peace in difficult seasons? In what ways do you struggle to lean into prayer rather than worry? 

6. A Mind Stayed on God  
Isaiah promises perfect peace to those whose minds are stayed on the Lord. Practically speaking, what helps you keep your mind fixed on God throughout the day? 

7. Personal Application  
Is there an area of your life right now where God may be inviting you to trust Him more deeply? What would that trust look like in action this week? 

The post Peace With God Is Real appeared first on julie fillinger.