Peace

October 2

Isaiah 60-61

Psalm 108:1-6

Proverbs 24:7

2 Thessalonians 3

Peace

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually give you peace in every circumstance.  The Lord be with you all.”  2 Thessalonians 3:16 LSB 

A few days ago, we talked about the current talking point we hear in the news every day, “Peace and safety.” The world could certainly use some peace and safety right now.  There are wars everywhere.  Israel and Gaza have been at war for many months.  The Ukraine and Russia war has been going on for several years.  China is threatening to invade Taiwan.  The US and Israel just attacked Iran.  While they have a ceasefire right now, it seems unlikely that will hold long term.  The Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Syria attack Israel daily.  Those are just the big ones that are in the news.  There are also regional wars going on in Africa and in parts of Asia. While the US is not currently at war, I would not describe our atmosphere as peaceful.  The political rhetoric and discourse from both sides is stirring up conflict and division.  Peace is elusive because hatred and animosity are prevalent.  The peace that is talked about in the media is not true peace.  They are talking about an absence of conflict.  The peace they are trying to reach is really a détente.  The countries are not going to suddenly hug and makeup and start liking each other after thousands of years of fighting.  A détente is a recognition that there won’t be a winner  and a decision to compromise for the sake of survival.  They may shake hands through gritted teeth, but this is not really peace.  There can be an easing of tensions so that things can calm down, but inevitably the war will resume at some point. 

That is not what Paul was talking about in his letter to the church at Thessalonica.  The peace Paul was referring to is not based on circumstances or shifting sentiment.  It is a deep, abiding sense of well-being based on trust in God.  Faith in the sovereignty and goodness of God gives the believer a peace that transcends understanding.  There is a freedom from fear and anxiety regardless of any situation that may exist around you.  This peace comes from an intimate relationship with Jesus.  It is an inner conviction that you will be ok no matter what happens because God is going to take care of you.  We cannot manufacture peace within ourselves.  This type of peace comes only from God.   The image in my head is of an eagle’s nest high in a tree.  There is a fierce storm raging all around and the Mama eagle has her wings spread over the nest protecting her baby birds.  They don’t know the danger they are in.  They are at complete peace because their mama is protecting them.  Ask God to fill you with His peace in this tumultuous world.  There are numerous verses about the peace of God to give us encouragement when we are struggling (John 14:27, 16:33, Isaiah 26:3, Colossians 3:15, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Philippians 4:6-7, 9, Psalm 4:8, 29:11, Romans 8:6, I Thessalonians 5:23).