Is Peace Possible in a World Out of Control?

The fighting rages on in the Middle East.  Violence is escalating in Iraq and Afghanastan.  It sometimes seems if every demon of hell has suddenly and feriously been released from the abyss to reek  havoc on an unprepared and unsuspecting world.  In addtion to the hostilities brewing in the traditonal world hot spots our personal lives seem to lack true peace.  We get up every morning and we face whatever the day throws at us with as much courage as we can muster but at the end of the day it always seems we have more day than courage.  Peace is longed for, sought after, and clamoured for but rarely is it every achieved.

Why?  I mean after all....didn't the Prnce of Peace promise He would leave His peace behind?  The problem with  the modern day peace seeker is they miss the message of the ancient peace speaker. Peace is not the lack of conflict in the physical world.  it is the presence of God dwelling in the heart of His people.  In his letter to the church at Philippi, the Apostle Paul captured the true meaning of the peace Jesus promised we would experience.  "Don't worry about anything , but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6-7). 

Cognitive theory speaks of the relationship between activating events (things which occur that have an impact on our emotional health), beliefs (the values we hold which allow us to deal with the activaitng events), and consequences (the result of activating events).