Finding God's Peace

An oxymoron is a combination of two or more words that do not belong together. They may actually contradict each other. Here are a few examples: genuine imitation; plastic glasses; nutritious junk food.

Here is another one – holy war. There is nothing holy about war. Even when war is necessary to oppose tyranny and prevent further bloodshed, human warfare is never holy.

James reminds us that wars come from human lust and greed (James 4:1-2). We humans covet what others have and we hate what they stand for. War is actually an accurate, concise description of the ultimate product of human nature. On the contrary, peace is both a definition and an attribute of God. And Jesus Himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14).

Peace is the fundamental disposition of a Christian. We are at peace because Jesus is peace and because He dwells within us (Galatians 2:20).
For my purposes here, let’s consider two definitions of peace: 1) the absence of war and hostility and 2) the presence of God.

The well known beatitude in Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” A child of God is one who has been placed into God’s Family. And how is that done? It is by accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord by a new birth wherein Jesus comes to actually live within us by His Life presence.

The peace of God is not simply the absence of war. The absence of war is one kind of peace – perhaps the highest form of peace that humans can hope for, apart from God. Jesus Himself, the Prince of Peace, told us that He did not come primarily to bring human peace – the absence of war and hostility – to this earth (Matthew 10:34). Jesus came to bring God’s peace – God’s grace and favor which is freely available. Peace, defined merely as the absence of war, is possible apart from Jesus Christ. But peace defined as the presence of God is not possible unless Jesus lives His risen life in us!

Contrary to conventional wisdom, being a peacemaker does not mean that we will be pushovers and easy marks for those who would exploit us. It does not mean that we compromise with everyone, never taking a stand, always trying to keep everyone happy. Peacemakers don’t keep everyone happy. Jesus didn’t.

Living by God’s grace means that religion will oppose us, even some religion that uses the name of Jesus Christ. Religion wants us to bow our knee to its rules, regulations and restrictions. Religion wants to be in charge of our lives with its priests, philosophies, spiritual potions and elixirs.

It isn’t easy accepting God’s grace because it means we must admit that we cannot be at peace, and that we certainly can’t be peacemakers, without His help. Accepting God’s grace humbles us because we are forced to admit that we aren’t big enough, strong enough, moral enough or good enough to take care of our problems. We must give up the idea that we can build enough character, do enough righteous things and somehow produce peace in our life and that of others through our own actions.

Peacemakers bring the peace of God, the presence, of God, as we allow Jesus to live His life in us, as we allow others to see the reflected light of Jesus Christ, the light that Jesus produces on our lives by God’s grace, not by our deeds.

Consider a story of two artists who were asked to paint a portrait of perfect peace.

One artist depicted a lazy summer day, a tranquil lake without a ripple breaking its surface, with couples and families eating and playing near the shore. In the distance was a mountain range under a perfect blue sky without a cloud in sight.

The other artist was a Christian. He experienced the presence of God in his life, through Jesus who lived within him. He knew the peace of God and what it involves. He painted a roaring sea, with a ship being tossed back and forth on the waves. Raging winds caused waves to break over the deck of the ship. The scene seemed to be anything but peaceful.

But the artist was not finished with this scene until he added the captain’s quarters in the front of the ship. This was a beautifully lit scene where a number of passengers and crewmen were seated at the captain’s table, eating and conversing, serene and confident that this storm would be weathered and that the storm had no power over their journey. Their faithful expressions communicated their complete trust that the Captain of the ship would bring them to their final destination, no matter what obstacles the sea might present.

God’s grace is the reason we are confident in spite of the storms of our own lives. If we accept Jesus Christ as the Captain of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10), we not only experience God’s peace but by His grace He will use us to be peacemakers in the lives of others.

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