• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

Chasing God's glory down life's unexpected trails

  • About Dorina
  • Speaking
    • Events
  • Books
  • Podcast
  • Running
  • Culture + Travel
  • Blog
    • Freebies

6 Ways to Find God’s Peace in Difficult Circumstances

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved the hymn “It Is Well.” There was something about those lyrics that brought a sense of peace whenever I sang them: “When peace like a river, attendeth my way… It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

Horatio G. Spafford, the man who penned that hymn, experienced profound tragedy with the death of his son to sickness, the loss of most of his real estate investments in the Great Chicago Fire, and then later the news that all four of his daughters had perished at sea in a ship wreck.

How did Horatio find peace in the face of so much tragedy?

He was rooted in his faith and he understood peace in his soul.

I only began to understand this in the midst of my own tragedy in 2014 when my husband was diagnosed with stage four cancer at age 40. Though we were often gripped with fear and uncertainty, God continued to give us surprising peace in the midst of our storm.

Peace is certainly not a formula or a 5-step process, but here are some specific ways we found peace in our situation:

Start by defining peace.

We often think of the word peace as the absence of fighting and chaos. Jesus gave peace as a gift to us in the midst of turbulent situations. His definition of peace was different from world peace. He cared most deeply about peace in our hearts.

Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.” John 14:27 CSB

In this chapter, Jesus was talking about the gift of the Holy Spirit. He explained that He would be going away to heaven, but he was leaving the Holy Spirit to personally guide and give us peace.

 

Separate lies from the truth.

When we are facing trials, we often let our minds wander to the worst-case scenario. We entertain our fears and let them rule our hearts. The Psalmist warns us:

Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:14 CSB

We actually have to pivot from the lies of the enemy and bask in God’s truth. We have to intentionally seek peace by separating lies from the truth. For example, when my husband was diagnosed with cancer, I was fraught with fear. I feared being alone and raising my girls without my partner. Yet, all throughout scripture God promises to be with me and to never leave me alone. I had to cling to that truth and turn away from my fears.

 

Surrender control to the One who controls it all.

Oftentimes we do not feel peace because we are trying too hard to control a situation. I learned this in my husband’s cancer journey. I believed if we chose just the right treatment it would save him. The reality is we are never in control. The peace only came when I was able to surrender control to God and trust Him for the outcome.

This verse reminds me that God’s peace surpasses understanding and control of all the details:

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 CSB

 

Meditate on scripture to encourage your heart.

One practical way I learned to find peace is by writing out and reciting scripture. A mentor of mine encouraged me years ago to develop a scripture notebook. In each season, I write out verses that encourage and bring me hope.

When I focus my mind on the truth in scripture, I do not have space for stress and worry. This proved helpful in doctor appointments and during the hardest days of my husband’s cancer journey.

 

Listen to worship music.

Music is another way to fix our minds on God’s truth and to calm our fears. I love the story in 1 Samuel 16 when David played the lyre for Saul who was being attacked by a harmful spirit. The music calmed and refreshed him.

I like to create worship playlists on Spotify to help me through different seasons. When the chaos is swirling or I am fraught with worry, music helps me fix my mind on the truth and calms my soul like Saul. It’s difficult to worry and worship at the same time.

 

Discover His glory through Creation.

God frequently brings me peace through nature. The petals of a perennial freesia pushing through hard earth, ocean waves crashing, a pine tree pointing toward the heavens – all of these remind me that God is in control and He is in the business of bringing beauty from ashes.

My daughters are used to me pulling over to the side of the road whenever God starts painting the sky at sunset. There is something about this spectacular color show that brings me a profound sense of comfort and peace.

Friend, remember you are not alone. We all face unexpected trials. God promises to offer peace and comfort if we continually seek Him.

Write out the following scripture and pray for peace in your present situation:

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 ESV

{The original version of this article was published at www.Dayspring.com.}

Share30
Tweet
Share
Pin2
32 Shares

September 29, 2019 Categories: Navigating GriefTagged: cancer, comfort, courage, death, faith, fear, flourishing, Grief, hope, inspirational, peace, rest, struggle, worship

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Meet Dorina

Aloha, friend! If you love stories, you are in the right place. I write about grief, glory, running, food, and more. I hope these words inspire you to chase after God’s glory in your life today!

Find me on Social Media

Categories

  • Book Reviews
  • Culture
  • Featured
  • General
  • Guest Blogger
  • Navigating Grief
  • Podcast
  • Recipes
  • Running

Recent Posts

  • We Can Bear Witness to the Glory of God in Each Other December 21, 2022
  • Rejoice Advent Devotional: How strength rises when we wait December 19, 2022
  • Learning to trust the Potter and the process November 11, 2022
  • Fall has fallen! It’s time for Pumpkin Chili October 22, 2022
  • Unexpected branches: An invitation into God’s family tree September 21, 2022

Popular Posts

  • Celebrating a Heaveniversary: 10 ways to honor a loved one’s death
  • 10 meaningful sympathy gift ideas for widows and families
  • My refuge: Resting under the shadow of His wings
  • 10 creative ways to honor a loved one’s memory (and clean out the garage)

Tags

abundance behold brave christian blog christianity christmas community compassion cooking courage creativity culture death dorina lazo gilmore family life fear finishing well flourishing food stories friendship gifts Grief haiti hope identity Incourage essays inspirational kids laughter Main dish margin marriage parenting passion relationships rest self-care serve sharing faith social justice struggle transitions wonder world travel writing

Before Footer

🏃🏽‍♀️As you are settling into the new year, are you looking for a way to incorporate more movement in your daily habits? Walk Run Soar is ...

View

Jan 26

Open
🏃🏽‍♀️As you are settling into the new year, are you looking for a way to incorporate more movement in your daily habits? Walk Run Soar is a devotional journal I wrote with my husband with daily encouragement, scripture, and coaching tips to help you walk or run. We care about physical health and spiritual growth. Find the 📖 anywhere books are sold!
26 6

One of my fave things about this season of ministry is getting to plan and speak at gatherings for women of all ages. Today I got some time with ...

View

Jan 26

Open
One of my fave things about this season of ministry is getting to plan and speak at gatherings for women of all ages. Today I got some time with @brynnmcilhatton planning for the Spring Thrive event for middle school and high school girls in Fresno-Clovis. 
Thrive is one of my favorite events hosted by our church for the city. This unique event is designed for young women by women. There’s teaching, worship, food, and all kinds of creative ways to connect!  I won’t give too much away quite yet, but if you’re a local young woman in the Valley save the date April 22. Details to come! 
👋🏽TAG a FRIEND who might like to join us and follow @wellchurchstudents 
☕️ by @yavabakery ♥️
72 18

Do you ever struggle with imposter syndrome? Feeling inadequate, ill-equipped, or too ordinary for your calling? Do you ever wonder why God didn’t ...

View

Jan 24

Open
Do you ever struggle with imposter syndrome? Feeling inadequate, ill-equipped, or too ordinary for your calling? Do you ever wonder why God didn’t choose that woman or that guy for the job? I’m with you. That’s why I’m sinking into these words from Galatians again. I’m remembering folks like Gideon, Esther, Moses, and Mary, who struggled with the same questions and thoughts.
70 11

🎊Part of living in a mixed-race family is bringing together new and old traditions from our different cultures. Since Shawn and I married, we have ...

View

Jan 23

Open
🎊Part of living in a mixed-race family is bringing together new and old traditions from our different cultures. Since Shawn and I married, we have been intentional to share our mix of cultures with our girls. 
🎏Today is the start of Lunar New Year celebrated in different ways by Asians from many different cultures. Shawn and I both have Chinese American heritage. My family is also Filipino and Polynesian. My dad remembers celebrating Chinese New Year growing up in a diverse neighborhood in Hawaii.
For lunch in Fresno, we supported our favorite local Chinese restaurant - Little Peking. We savored the heat of Spicy Eggplant, the tangy-sweetness of the Orange Chicken, the rich marinade Mongolian Tofu and Veggie Fried Rice for my Meilani. My Giada had her favorite potstickers 🥟 rolled by experienced hands. Zayla can hardly wait for the finisher: fortune cookies!
For family dinner tonight with my parents, I made Adobo chicken with bok choy & edamame. We gather and savor traditional foods to celebrate, to remember, and as a peaceful protest when violence still rages against Asian American brothers and sisters who are image bearers of God too. We eat, we laugh, we pray, we grieve. 
👉🏾How do you celebrate Lunar New Year? Is there a friend you could invite, a local restaurant you could support, or a book you could read to learn more? 🧧
#lunarnewyear2023 #veryasian #montereypark #aapi #chinesenewyear #foodiegram #familydinner #haveyoueaten #filpino #hapa #mixedrace
120 18

☕️ This marks year 12 of gathering with my “chai sisters” for our annual Word Party. This year, my dear amiga Yasmin hosted. Her mama is ...

View

Jan 21

Open
☕️ This marks year 12 of gathering with my “chai sisters” for our annual Word Party. This year, my dear amiga Yasmin hosted. Her mama is visiting and cooked up a traditional Salvadoran breakfast for us - complete with pupusa, tamales, fried platanos, chai and mimosas. 
Terry blessed us with her hubby’s melt-in-your-mouth arroz con lèche. I brought the mint chocolate cheesecake, and it was a party! 🍰 
Beyond the excuse for delectable food and heavenly chai, our Word parties are a chance to reflect on the past year and to look into the future with eager eyes. We each choose One Word to embody our year. We commit to studying, cradling, following, contemplating, dwelling on that word until we meet again. Some of us journal our discoveries. Others peck out late-night text messages to the group with discoveries throughout the year.
At the party, we each have the assignment of tracing what God has taught us about that word theme in the past year. With great anticipation, we also reveal our word for the coming year and pray over them together. This gathering has become sacred through the years.
Today I exhaled with these friends as we reflected on 2022 and embraced a new journey set before us for 2023. I love how our word themes always intertwine and echo each other’s. God is leading me back to His HESED, his grace, mercy, and loving kindness. ♥️ 
👉🏾Do you have people who help you reflect and point you back to the Spirit?! 
#hesed2023 #wordoftheyear
113 18
FOLLOW @DorinaGilmore

After Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 • Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young • Privacy Policy

Breathing Through Grief Resources