Originally streamed on YouTube
When God's people were exiled in a place they didn't choose, His instruction wasn't "wait it out." It was "be the peace of where you are."
I feel stuck in a place I didn't choose — a job, a city, a season of life. Is God going to get me out?
Pastor Everette B. Samuel reminded the church that Jeremiah 29 was written to people who didn't choose where t...
Pastor Everette B. Samuel reminded the church that Jeremiah 29 was written to people who didn't choose where they were either. They were exiles, carried away by force, expecting rescue. God's first word to them wasn't "I'll get you out" — it was "build houses, plant gardens, settle down." Sometimes the way out comes through learning to be present in the place you wanted to leave. He hasn't forgotten you. He may be teaching you something only that place can teach.
I'm not sure I have any peace to give. How can I be the shalom for anyone else?
Pastor Samuel anchored the answer in Jeremiah 29:7: "In its peace you will have peace." The peace you receive...
Pastor Samuel anchored the answer in Jeremiah 29:7: "In its peace you will have peace." The peace you receive is downstream of the peace you bring. You don't have to feel full to share. Start tiny: pray for one neighbor. Speak gently to one cashier. Forgive one person honestly. Shalom multiplies in the giving. The cup fills as it pours.
I feel anxious all the time. The world feels too dangerous to "settle down."
Sister Ricketts was Pastor Samuel's example. Her answer to "how are you" was always "fantastic" — not because...
Sister Ricketts was Pastor Samuel's example. Her answer to "how are you" was always "fantastic" — not because nothing was wrong, but because she had "learned to trust God to work it out for my good." Anxiety thrives on outcomes you can't control. Contentment grows on a Person you can. Try one practice this week: in every place you would normally rehearse the worry, rehearse God's character instead.
I feel like all my prayers are about my problems. How do I broaden them?
Pastor Samuel preached it long: "You're going to pray for your enemies, your abusers, your haters, your leader...
Pastor Samuel preached it long: "You're going to pray for your enemies, your abusers, your haters, your leaders, your neighbors, the war makers, the troublemakers, all the destruction in our cities — pray until you can't pray no more." William Tyndale prayed for every home in England. You don't need a list that big. You need one name that isn't yours, one neighborhood that isn't yours, one leader you'd usually criticize. Praying outward enlarges you.
I've drifted from God. The ending of this sermon was for me. Now what?
Pastor Samuel's closing prayer was specifically for someone who had drifted — in heart, soul, or body — and fo...
Pastor Samuel's closing prayer was specifically for someone who had drifted — in heart, soul, or body — and for someone listening online who hadn't yet surrendered. Both invitations are still open. There's no special ritual to come back. Talk to God like you used to. Tell Him what's been happening. Ask Him to make Himself real again. He doesn't require an explanation. He's been waiting for the conversation.
Pastor Everette B. Samuel opened with the moment most of us forget — Jeremiah 29 wasn't written to people whose lives were going well. It was written to people in exile, carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon by force. They wanted out. They wanted home. And God's letter to them did not say "I'll get you out soon." It said: build houses. Plant gardens. Marry. Have children. Settle in. Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away.
That word "peace" is shalom — and it doesn't just mean the absence of conflict. It means peace, prosperity, completeness, wholeness. Pastor Samuel laid out the principles: settle down (stop fighting where you are and let God meet you there), seek peace (be the peace agent in the place you didn't pick), and pray — pray without ceasing, pray for enemies, abusers, leaders, neighbors, the city itself. He told the story of Sister Ricketts, whose answer to "how are you" was always "fantastic" — not because life was perfect, but because she had learned the secret of contentment.
The heart of the message is in Jeremiah 29:7: "in its peace you will have peace." The peace you receive is downstream of the peace you bring. If you've been waiting to find peace before you can give peace, you've got the order backwards. God's command to His people in the worst place of their lives was to be the shalom of that place. The same is true today. You don't have to leave where you are to find peace. Sometimes peace begins the moment you stop trying to escape and start asking what shalom looks like for the people around you.
Drop your email and we'll send you a one-tap link to come back to your saved Q&As. No password. No church invites. Unsubscribe whenever.
No spam. Unsubscribe with one click. Email goes to hello@thechurchofpeace.org — replies welcome.