Jeremiah 17:7,8 says “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

I’m so often struck at the way Scripture talks about peace. In our current age, peace feels elusive, impossible. But in so many passages in Scripture, the language surrounding God’s peace reads so passive, so attainable. But not in the way we might think.

In the book of Colossians, the apostle Paul says, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” What takes me aback here is the way our only call, our only action step in this verse is: “let.” Let God do the work.

Allow Him to rule and dwell in your heart. I am not the one engineering such peace or calm for myself; rather, it exists for all of us, and we only have to fall back into it.

Similarly, in Jeremiah, the prophet writes, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord … he is like a tree planted by water.” Here, the language is similarly at ease — not striving or constantly trying, but still, receiving the water that allows its leaves to remain green.

We see this again in the book of John. In chapter 15, Jesus calls Himself the vine, and calls us the branches. If we remain in Him, we will bear fruit. He is the one responsible for nourishing us; we only need to remain in Him.

Athlete, take a few moments throughout your day today to recalibrate and choose to allow God’s peace to dwell in your heart. Take these moments to surrender your strifes, your hungry motivations that creep up throughout the day, and to trust the Lord like a tree planted by water — there to receive the nourishment available.

May we practice these quiet pauses throughout our daily rhythms to turn our hearts back to God and to trust and remain in the abundant peace with which God wants to nourish us.