Miracles News
October-December, 2022
The Peace of God… a New Thing Entirely!
In the Teacher’s Manual (M-20 pg. 51) we learn what is the Peace of God. Jesus itemizes the questions and steps we take to obtain it. It is a very useful look at what it means. We all know that we should want and join the Peace of God, but we often don’t find the connection or don’t know what it is supposed to feel like.
“What is the peace of God?
“It has been said that there is a kind of peace that is not of this world. How is it recognized? How is it found? And being found, how can it be retained? Let us consider each of these questions separately, for each reflects a different step along the way.” (M.20.1)
“First, how can the peace of God be recognized?
God’s peace is recognized at first by just one thing; in every way it is totally unlike all previous experiences.” (M.20.2:1-2)
So, here we are asked to look for something quite different, something that is not a common, everyday experience. We may think … oh, I’ll never get there, and if I don’t know what it feels like, how can I know that it is the peace of God, rather than some ordinary peaceful feeling?
Jesus continues to explain:
“It calls to mind nothing that went before. It brings with it no past associations. It is a new thing entirely. There is a contrast, yes, between this thing and all the past. But strangely, it is not a contrast of true differences. The past just slips away and in its place is everlasting quiet. Only that.” (M.20.2:3-9)
How nice to think: It is a new thing entirely. When we ask for this peace, we are asking for something quite different. We realize the old way of just being quiet is not enough. We want to go beyond the ordinary quiet and finally allow the past to just slip away.
Our minds quickly get filled with past thoughts, which make the mind jump to see the future just like the past. But here we want to stay in the present, let all things from the past be gone, be quiet, move into an entirely different thing.
As I think about that, it feels so refreshing to let go of the same old ways of being, but allow the mind to trust, to be neutral and rest in God. Past experiences cannot take me there.
The next question asked is:
“How is the quiet found?
“No one can fail to find it who but seeks out its conditions. God’s peace can never come where anger is, for anger must deny that peace exists.” (M.20.3:1-3)
Of course, we are not looking for anger when we are looking for peace, but anger may motivate us to find peace because anger is not helpful in any way. Yet, I have met several people who don’t want to let go of anger because of the energy within it. They believe that it will help them move forward. And indeed, it can. However, we need to be aware that it needs to move us towards something better, something more effective, not more destructive. Anger can quickly move us into the wrong direction. And, as Jesus says, anger must deny peace exists. We know anger well, but how often have we experienced true peace?
So, as we choose anger, we deny peace.
Jesus continues with this:
“Therefore, forgiveness is the necessary condition for finding the peace of God. More than this, given forgiveness there must be peace. For what except attack will lead to war?” (M.20.3:6-8)
What he seems to say to me is that, if not peace, then war. Attack is war. Anger attacks, and so again, we are on the wrong path. This reasoning should lead us clearly to be aware of our feelings:
If it is anger, attack or not forgiving, we have to look again. No one can fail to find peace who seeks it under the right conditions. I want to let my feelings tell me what I am choosing at the moment, for anger comes up sometimes unnoticed, almost habitual. I want to be aware of this habitual thinking and be vigilant for it. It will not take me to Peace. Again, habits help us in the world, but we are looking for ‘an entirely different thing’.
And lastly, Jesus asks:
“How is the Peace of God retained, once it is found?
Returning anger, in whatever form, will drop the heavy curtain once again, and the belief that peace cannot exist will certainly return. …Stop for a moment now and think of this: Is conflict what you want, or is God’s peace the better choice? Which give you more? A tranquil mind is not a little gift.” >(M.20.4:1,2,6-8)
So, what value is a quiet mind? At first, it allows us to focus on the present. What am I thinking or feeling right now? When we can become aware, we have choices. What do I truly want? When I am not peaceful but angry or upset or worried, I cannot hear Guidance, and I do want to be guided. My little mind cannot make the right choice because I’m guided by the past and would most likely choose wrongly.
My quiet mind may not stay with me throughout the day, but I can continue to ask and listen within to be aware and keep choosing what I perceive from Guidance to be the next loving thing to do. I want to continually be focused on a peaceful state of mind which brings me everything I want. And I want to remember that the Peace of God is an entirely new thing. It brings with it no past associations. That sounds very exciting to me.
To summarize:
How is the Peace of God recognized?
It is in every way totally unlike all previous experiences.
It is not like anything in the past but is an everlasting quiet.
How is this quiet found?
You find peace when you let go of anger and forgive.
How is the Peace of God retained, once it is found?
Returning to anger, even in small amounts, brings back the belief that peace cannot exist. Stop for a moment now, and think of this:
What do I really want? Is God’s peace the choice I want? Do I want a peaceful mind or do I want anger, attack or war as my guide?
A tranquil mind is not a little gift.
Jesus tells us:
“Forgive the world, and you will understand that everything that God created cannot have an end, and nothing He did not create is real. In this one sentence is our course explained. In this one sentence is our practicing given its one direction. And in this one sentence is the Holy Spirit’s whole curriculum specified exactly as it is.” (M.20.5:7-10)
This section of the Manual for Teachers is worth reading again and again if we want the Peace of God, truly. Even when I don’t get to the absolute eternal quiet, we must start somewhere. I’ll start my journey where I am but never stop looking for Peace.
“…[God’s] Will is wholly without opposite. There is no thought that contradicts His Will, yet can be true. The contrast between His Will and yours but seemed to be reality. In truth there was no conflict, for His Will is yours. …God’s peace is the condition for His Will. Attain His peace, and you remember Him.” (M-20.6:2-5,12-13)
Rev. Maria Kingsley is a Pathways of Light minister living in Tucson, Arizona. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Mail: P.O Box 35122 Tucson, AZ 35122 Phone: 520-780-0170 Web: Maria-Kingsley.com
© Copyright 2022, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice is included.
Has this page been helpful to you?
Your contribution in support of this site is greatly appreciated. To make a tax deductible contribution or become a member online, go to http://www.pathwaysoflight.org/polshop/home.php?cat=254.
Or send a check or money order to Pathways of Light, 6 Oak Court, Ormond Beach, FL 32174-2623 (USD only, please) Thank you for your support.