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Do people who don't believe in Christ Jesus have peace? Yes, they can have peace in their lives, but I have to say it is usually based on no bad things happening at the time so it does not seem to survive through the trials, anxieties and sorrows of life. In fact, some people never seem to have peace whether Christians or not- I know, because I used to be one of them. The biggest problem for me in living a peaceful life was… ME!
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Pr. 3:5,6
My problem really stemmed from two places- wanting to remain in control of my own life and not trusting the Lord. Eventually I accepted that we are never in control no matter how hard we try to be. Life throws its curveballs, nature has its own way, other people act in unexpected ways and there is nothing we can do about it except decide how we will respond. I’d like to tell you this is completely resolved, but the truth is I still find remnants of control popping up now and again that have to be surrendered afresh.
As for trusting the Lord, that part is still growing and I think that is the way it probably is meant to be (just as trust continues to grow for the people around us) so as I spend time with Him and we walk through each day, I learn I can count on Him more and more. As I see His loving and merciful hand at work in my life, and see how He uses all for my good (Rom. ), my trust grows. Day by day my Lord is using this life to help me become the person I need to be and I am confident He will continue His work in me (Php. 1:6).
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Php 4:4-7
We see several commands here, the first being to rejoice in the Lord always. If you can rejoice (be happy) in the Lord in the bad times, then you are likely trusting Him. Moderate living speaks of not living in excesses of passions, dress, or pleasures. To do this, one must surrender control of their lives to the Lord. In order to not be anxious, we must trust that God will do all in His power to help us and complete the work in us. Prayer and petition with gratitude also show surrender and trust. Basically, if we surrender our lives completely and trust the Lord, we will have the peace that passes all understanding.
Mankind may never understand or intellectually figure out how we can have peace (2nd phrase of v.7) when our world is falling down around us, but we know it is possible and can live it when we surrender and trust the Lord- daily, even hourly or moment by moment. And the peace of the Lord will guard our hearts (thoughts, feelings) and minds (perception, intellect) through Jesus Christ who died to save and set us free.
(Is. 53:1-9; Is. 61:1-3)
Peace that passes all understanding is ours if we surrender and trust our Lord.