June 2026
PEACE BEYOND THE FOG
Guest Inspiration by Alyssa Brade
My dad took this picture while hiking with my mom at Mt. Rainer.
When he showed it to me later, I immediately saw the beauty of it all: the meadow stretching wide beneath the mountains, the soft wildflowers, the mist hanging gently over the landscape. The fog lifting to reveal a stunning sacred stillness.
What I didn’t see was the climb it took to get there.
I didn’t feel the exhaustion in my legs or the ache in my lungs. I didn’t experience the moments where the trail disappeared into thick grey clouds and I couldn’t fully see what lay ahead. I didn’t feel any doubt because I only saw the final image—the beauty revealed after the fog lifted.
And honestly, that feels a lot like the way we often look at peace and decision making.
We admire the beauty of a “good decision” while forgetting how much of our peace is walked blindly through fog.
Because most of us want peace before we take the step.
Before the climb.
Before the uncertainty.
Before the risk.
We want clarity before obedience.
We want to know the outcome before we commit to the path.
And if we don’t feel calm or certain, we often say:
“I just don’t have Jesus’ peace about it.”
But I’m beginning to realize that much of what I once called “peace” had very little to do with Jesus and a whole lot to do with control rooted in fear.
The Illusion of Peace
For much of my life, I believed peace was something I could arrive at through enough logic, research, preparation, and certainty.
When I considered major moves or life changes, I searched for peace in spreadsheets, finances, housing markets, backup plans, career projections, and every possible scenario I could mentally rehearse beforehand. I searched endlessly for the safe decision. The decision that would guarantee the best possible outcome.
None of those things are inherently wrong seeking counsel and wisdom are important components of every decision.
But beneath all my careful planning was something deeper: fear.
I thought if I could gather enough information, I could finally control enough variables to feel safe.
And when I felt safe, I mistook that feeling for peace.
But control only creates the illusion of peace.
It’s fragile and temporary because it depends entirely on outcomes cooperating and following our spreadsheets.
As long as life behaves, we feel calm.
As long as people don’t disappoint us, we feel secure.
As long as the future unfolds according to plan, we feel “peaceful.”
And that somehow translated into “The peace of Jesus” in my life.
But eventually life reminded me how little I actually control.
And suddenly my peace disappeared with it.
“Peace is what becomes possible when we stop worshipping certainty and start trusting Christ.”
The Problem With Waiting for It to “Feel Right”
I think many of us quietly believe that if we make the “correct” decision, our lives will finally feel secure.
However, the more I spent time with Jesus and His Word, the more I realized that many of God’s invitations do not feel logical or “safe”.
Follow Moses into the wilderness.
Step into the Red Sea before it parts.
March around city walls instead of attacking them.
Fight armies larger and stronger than your own.
Leave your homeland for a place you’ve never seen.
Step out of the boat onto stormy water.
If the people in Scripture had waited for circumstances to feel safe, reasonable, and logical before acting, many of them never would have moved.
Because God rarely gives complete visibility before obedience.
Imagine being the Israelites standing at the edge of the Red Sea.
Behind them was Pharaoh’s army.
Before them was impossible water.
There was no logical pathway to peace there.
And yet Moses says in Exodus 14:13:
“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.”
Notice what he does not say.
“Here’s the five-step strategic plan.”
“Here’s how this will all make sense.”
“Here’s proof that nothing bad will happen.”
He says: Do not be afraid.
Because biblical peace is never rooted in full visibility.
It is rooted in trust.
The disciples made a decision to follow Jesus and walked in His Peace… through storms, loss, confusion, betrayal, and death.
And yet, somehow, they kept a peace the world could not comprehend.
Not because life became predictable.
But because peace had become a Person.
Jesus says in John 16:33:
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
That verse alone completely changes the definition of peace.
Jesus does not promise a trouble-free life as evidence of our “decisions made in his Peace”.
He promises His presence.
For me, this has been one of the hardest spiritual lessons to learn: Peace is not the reward for making perfect decisions.
Peace is what becomes possible when we stop worshipping certainty and start trusting Christ.
Because if I’m honest, what I often called “discernment” was really fear wearing spiritual language.
“I don’t have peace about this,” was really…
- I can’t guarantee the outcome.
- I can’t eliminate the risk.
- I can’t control how much this may hurt.
- I can’t predict what comes next.
- I’m afraid.
And that lack of control felt unbearable.
But Jesus never invited us into a life of guaranteed outcomes.
He invited us into relationship.
That is why His peace cannot be manufactured through logic.
Logic is useful, but logic cannot save us from uncertainty.
Information is valuable, but information cannot quiet the deepest fears of the human heart.
Only trust can do that.
Only presence can do that.
Only Him.
And maybe that is why so many moments of genuine peace in my life did not arrive before the hard decision—but after I finally stepped forward and made a decision.
Not because the fog cleared instantly.
Not because the path suddenly became safe.
Not because I finally planned for enough of the variables.
But because I discovered that Jesus was already present in the wilderness I was trying so desperately to avoid.
The peace of Christ is not found in mastering the future.
It is found in walking with Him through a future we cannot control.
Psalm 119:105 says:
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
A lamp.
Not a floodlight.
Enough light for the next step—not the next twenty miles.
And maybe that is where Peace becomes real.
Peace is not about having enough information to eliminate fear.
Peace is the steady presence of Christ within us as we walk through things we cannot control.
Jesus says in John 14:27:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”
The world gives peace through control, predictability, and comfort.
Jesus gives peace through Himself.
Which means real peace can exist even while standing in uncertainty.
Beyond the Fog
When I look at this photograph now, I think about how easy it is to admire the beauty of the meadow without appreciating what it took to reach it.
The beauty was always there.
But you couldn’t fully see it while struggling inside the fog.
And maybe that is where some of us are right now.
Standing at the edge of a difficult decision.
Waiting for certainty.
Waiting for fear to disappear.
Waiting for complete clarity before taking a step forward.
But maybe the peace we are searching for will only come through trusting the One who walks with us into the unknown.
Peace is Jesus.
P.S. My dad has written an incredible series on peace in previous blogs, and I highly encourage you to read them. I have read and reread them as a sweet reminder to my soul of what it means to have Peace as a Person.
~ Alyssa Brade
Peace is a Prince, and His Name is Jesus.
Inspired from my studies about God’s peace and experience applying His truth, this new song declares a simple but profound truth: peace is not merely a feeling or circumstance—it is a Person. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is our refuge, guide, and hope in every season.
May your mind, soul, and body abide wholly in the Prince of Peace.
~ Jeff