Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. — Genesis 37:1
Have you ever noticed that while some people seem to have an easy life, they are in constant tumult on the inside? And then other people have their share of problems, yet they are completely calm? While most people assume that inner peace is a result of a tranquil outer environment, from what I have noticed, that is clearly not the case!
Instead of the peace that Jacob asked for, he was faced with the most turbulent decades of his life!
God could have granted Jacob’s request for peace with the absence of any turmoil. But that would be a conditional peace, one that could be broken at any moment. God wished to give His beloved servant an even greater tranquility, one that was deeper and more stable.
God wanted Jacob to learn that peace comes from within, not from conditions outside. Once Jacob went through the worst of everything, he could learn to weather anything. God provided him with a way to access peace in any situation of his life.
Peace is not a result of our outer conditions, but a result of our inner state. When we learn to trust God in any situation, we will earn an everlasting peace that will accompany us through any circumstance.
Inner peace can be unconditional only when we unconditionally trust in God.
