25. My Peace

Names of God Meditations No.25:  My Peace

Judg 6:24 “So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it ‘The Lord Is Peace.”

1 Thess 5:23 “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.”

Truth in Song: There is an old song/hymn, recently revived very beautifully, that runs, “When peace, like a river, attends my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.” I suspect we often focus on the last sentence, but it is able to be sung because of the first words.

Watching and listening to the modern world, I get the impression that few people are able to say (or sing), “It is well with my soul,” and the reason seems to be that few people truly know peace. Jesus said to his disciples at the Last Super, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” (Jn 14:27)

Different Peace: Peace that the world knows is the absence of anxious circumstances, but the peace that Jesus brought was peace in the midst of the anxious circumstances. It is like being in the eye of a storm; everything can be whirling around but there, in the middle of it where the presence of God is, there is total stillness, utter peace.

Paul’s Blessing: The apostle Paul so often began his letters with the blessing, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ,” (Rom 1:7) or similar words, but peace was always there. And sometimes he both interspersed and finished his letters with it, e.g. “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way,” (1 Thess 3:16) and “The God of peace be with you all. Amen,” (Rom 15:33) and “And the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil 4:9) Paul knew two things: first that we live in a fallen, tumultuous world and, second, God is THE only bringer of true peace.

Paul’s Teaching: Indeed Paul saw it as the answer – through prayer – to all our anxieties: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6,7) The message version paraphrase puts that, “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” Isn’t that lovely.

Peace comes (1): So how does he bring this peace? In at least three ways. First, by his very presence. I have already described God’s presence is like being in the eye of a storm. Why? Because God is Supreme, Lord of all and because He knows everything, understands everything, and knows how to deal with everything, AND is all-powerful; in Himself He has no need to stress and His presence, wherever He manifests it, is like a rock, utterly stable, unmovable, total peace. When we seek that Presence and know it in the quiet place, perhaps first thing in the morning, we too will be enveloped by that peace, and realise we are in the eye of the storm – safe.

Peace comes (2): But more than that, second, as Jesus demonstrated at the Last Supper, he is in complete control and nothing is catching him out or surprising him, and he knows how everything is fitting into his Father’s will. So, as he conveys that to us, when we listen and hear and believe, we too come to a place of peace. That is what I believe Paul was conveying in Phil 4.

Peace comes (3): But there is also a third way. As we sense the peace of His presence, we sense Jesus is in complete control and as we wait with him, so often he will convey either a sense that it will all work out well (Rom 8:28) or he will convey his wisdom to us about something that perhaps we need to do to establish peace and order (Jas 1:5).  I have lost track of the number of times I have come to the quiet place early in the morning with an awareness that I have nothing to give, nothing to write, but as I sit there in the stillness and become aware of the Presence, I find a river of creativity flowing, showing the path ahead, and all concern is washed away in the river of peace.

And so: Everything about God’s presence is peace, and He comes to bring it to us through Christ so that we may experience it again and again in life. I say again and again, for the reality is that in the fallen world, the tumults come at us afresh on a regular basis, and so again and again we have to retreat into His presence and receive of Him. May it be so for each of us. He IS my Peace.