Most families have their traditional holidays, the places that they always return to, sooner or later. For some, their special place might be near the beach, or out in the bush. Others might head for a capital city, or to their childhood homes. As for my family, we were mountain people.
During my childhood, we would spend at least one holiday a year in the Grampian ranges in Victoria. Later, in my teenage years, we moved to Queensland, and I had a chance to become familiar with the Gold Coast hinterland. I have to admit that there were times when I wished that my parents were less enthusiastic about walking up these steep mountain paths in freezing cold or hot and humid weather.
But in spite of my occasional grumbles, I have many special memories of those mountain holidays - I was able to see some of the most beautiful scenery, as well as seeing a number of Australia's unusual animals in their natural habitats. And being in the mountains enabled me to experience, in an almost physical way, a powerful sense of peace.
Sometimes we associate feelings with particular images. The image I have of "peace" is a place in the mountains where a cool stream flows. There is a gentle breeze blowing, and the sun is bright, but not burning hot. The trees seem to glow, their green leaves changing the colour of the light, and softening all that I see.
Along the banks of the stream, there are smooth stones, made warm by the sun. Some of them are like small pebbles; others large rocks that jut out into the water. There is one rock that stands right in the centre of the stream, and I wade out to it and sit on it while the water flows all around me.
Because the place is so peaceful, it seems silent, yet there are many gentle, comforting sounds. I hear the laughing tones of the fast flowing water, the whispering of the wind in the trees. There are the many different birdsongs, some raucous, some melodious, some striking. There is the sound of cicadas humming in their thousands. And there is the sound of my own breathing, the beat of my heart, my own contribution to the music of life that surrounds me.
This place is a real place, a special peaceful place remembered from my childhood. I sometimes wonder if David knew a similar place, and if he remembered it when he wrote those famous lines, "...He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." (Psalm 23:2b, 3a). Because I know that, simply by thinking of my peaceful place, I gain a sense of God's presence, a sense of wonder at his glorious creation, a sense of peace from knowing that he is near.
In my experience, God's peace will reveal itself at the most unexpected times. Travelling home on the train one night, weary from the day at work, and frazzled by the peak hour noise at the train station, I glanced out the window to see the burnt orange clouds of a glorious sunset. Walking through town late one evening, I felt a cool breeze on my face, and turned my face towards the sky to see the moon shining above the city lights. Waiting at the bus stop, already running late before the day has begun, I am startled and awed by the sight of a scarlet honeyeater, feasting on the flowers of a nearby tree.
In anxious times, in times when worries and and frustrations and depression threaten to overwhelm me, I am reminded of the wordsof Phillipians 4:7: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I cannot doubt the truth of these words - I have been surprised by this peace so often, when the pressures of the world have threatened to tear me apart.