Vertical Peace

Vertical Peace

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

Psalm 34:5

Peace comes in three main varieties—vertical, horizontal, and internal. Vertical peace has to do with our relationship with God. Horizontal peace concerns our relationships with others. Internal peace has to do with our relationship with ourselves. If you are experiencing internal conflict or conflict with others, it’s tempting to focus entirely on the internal or horizontal aspects of peace. You may expend a lot of energy trying to resolve these areas of your life. But you will make little headway if you fail to address the most important kind of peace there is, which is peace with the God who made you.

When it comes to marital discord, for instance, author Paul Tripp makes an insightful comment. “I have become more and more persuaded that marriages are fixed vertically before they are ever fixed horizontally,” he says.^a Regardless of what is troubling a marriage—money, sex, poor communication, woundedness—these issues and others will never be resolved without addressing the vertical issue.

According to Tripp, a good marriage isn’t rooted in romance but in worship. But what does that mean? Tripp isn’t talking about going to church or singing hymns together, though these practices may be good for a marriage, but about the fundamental purpose of your life. Each of us, he points out, is digging for some kind of treasure, looking for something of immense value toward which to aim our lives. The Bible makes this truth clear, saying, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:21).

The problem comes when your heart settles for a treasure less than God. When your purpose in life is defined by having the perfect relationship, a comfortable life, money, power, health, or pleasure, you will never find the peace you’re looking for. Regardless of whether you are married, single, widowed, or divorced, let your response to life’s challenges be driven by an overwhelming desire to know God and live for him. If you get vertical peace right, horizontal and internal peace will follow.

Lord, let my troubles turn me not to false treasures but to the treasure of knowing you more deeply. May I know the joy that comes from looking to you for help and trusting that you will bring it.

^a Paul Tripp, What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 35.