Peace

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. – John 14.27

Peace. Shalom. Salam. Vrede.  Síochána. Frieden. Paz. Paix. Мир. Ειρήνη. Kapayapaan. Pax. Pace.

No matter how you say it, peace is one of the few things the whole world desires.  I am not really an old guy yet, but even in my lifetime I have seen many, many attempts at peace. I have seen Paris Peace Talks, the Camp David Accord, Dayton Peace Talks, the Good Friday Agreement, and many more. Some have worked better than others, but still we live in a world full of war, hatred, and violence.

Why? Why doesn’t all of this work? Why can’t we all just get along?

We all just can’t get along because we all want more stuff. All of us, friends and enemies want more stuff. Man is a sinner and because he is a sinner he is a sinner he is driven by the stuff he wants. When young children play together they all seem to want what the other kids have. In essence wars and fighting are just an extension of that first conflict, except the consequences are bigger. Until man stops being a sinner, that is not going to change. And man is not going to stop being a sinner.

So what is Jesus talking about here? He gives us a hint when He says ‘I am not going to give you the world’s peace.’ And, I think we would all agree, is probably a good thing.

Instead Jesus offers a deep and abiding peace that can never be taken away. His peace abides in the midst of war, natural disaster, famine, and even elections that don’t go our way. The peace He gives is that inner settleness that carries us through the very worst because our focus is on Him and our eternity.

Praise God for the peace, the shalom, the síochána, the pax that He provides to carry through anything that comes our way.