As I lay in bed last night waiting for sleep to come, I was thinking of peace. Jim and I had had a conversation earlier with a dear friend about how sometimes it seems prayers take so long to be answered, about how it is hard to find rest and peace in the midst of so much going on. And watching the news certainly doesn't help. Natural disasters every day, crime abounds, so little good news. Not to mention having to listen to all those politicians rant on and on before an election! There seems to be no peace personally, communally, nationally or globally.
I lay there pondering peace and the image of the peace symbol from the 60's and 70's popped into my mind. You know the one. You saw it everywhere, as if that little symbol would stop all the turmoil. Peace, love and harmony, man... Peace doesn't come because it is demanded. Peace doesn't come because the populace clamors for it. That in itself is an oxymoron. The more people insisted on peace, the more discord there was. Riots breaking out everywhere. Strange when you think about it, but the more peace was demanded and not seen, the more people turned to drugs and alcohol and things really haven't changed.
So we had this little symbol that people stood by. Meant to bring peace and unity, when all we really saw was more agitation and harmony.
We as humans cannot manufacture our own peace. As evidenced in the drugs and alcohol misuse mentioned above. We cannot fabricate our own quietude and rest for any length of time. We can only spend so much time 'meditating' and 'ohm-ing' our way into a false sense of serenity.
There is only one source of peace in this world and it is found in the Lord. I got to looking at that image of the peace sign in my head and kind of turned it this way and that and had an 'aha' moment. That symbol has three legs at the bottom of it. The three persons of the Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Those three are truly one, as seen in the one line that rises from those three legs to go to the top of the circle. So the three in the Trinity, individually and as one fill that whole circle. And that circle represents unity, wholeness and the infinite.
Think of all that in relation to peace. The word peace is used many times in the Bible. One of those times was when there was a storm on the lake and Jesus spoke to it, said 'Peace, be still' and it obeyed. Do you think it is any harder for the Lord to speak peace to your heart and your situation? I think not. Just look at these two verses in the book of John. Chapter 14, verse 27; 'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid'. And again in chapter 16, verse 33; 'These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world'.
Peace is found in the Lord. Contentment and solace is found in the Lord. When you enter into a relationship with Him, when you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, give yourself wholly to Him, there is serenity and calmness to be found. When you are in Him, you are not in the world, just as that scripture reference above attested to. When you are in that place of harmony with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the world and it's troubles can come at you all it wants, but you know the strength and rest to be found in that circle of divine tranquility. As we abide in Him, there we find our peace. There we find our rest.
Wow, my mind just continues to be blown away by all that He does for us. The divine substitution if you will, that He makes for us. For our sins He gives us forgiveness and remission of those sins. For our mortal bodies, He gives us a home with Him in eternity. For our fear He gives us courage. For our weakness, He gives us strength. For our anxiety and apprehension, He gives us peace. And not a fleeting peace, but an ever-lasting peace. Not just a piece of peace; but a never-ending peace. So truly peace, man! All this as we just trust in Him, enter into that heavenly realm, here on earth. Forever and ever, without end, just like that circle, only this one is filled with Him and all of His blessed gifts for us.
I lay there pondering peace and the image of the peace symbol from the 60's and 70's popped into my mind. You know the one. You saw it everywhere, as if that little symbol would stop all the turmoil. Peace, love and harmony, man... Peace doesn't come because it is demanded. Peace doesn't come because the populace clamors for it. That in itself is an oxymoron. The more people insisted on peace, the more discord there was. Riots breaking out everywhere. Strange when you think about it, but the more peace was demanded and not seen, the more people turned to drugs and alcohol and things really haven't changed.
So we had this little symbol that people stood by. Meant to bring peace and unity, when all we really saw was more agitation and harmony.
We as humans cannot manufacture our own peace. As evidenced in the drugs and alcohol misuse mentioned above. We cannot fabricate our own quietude and rest for any length of time. We can only spend so much time 'meditating' and 'ohm-ing' our way into a false sense of serenity.
There is only one source of peace in this world and it is found in the Lord. I got to looking at that image of the peace sign in my head and kind of turned it this way and that and had an 'aha' moment. That symbol has three legs at the bottom of it. The three persons of the Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Those three are truly one, as seen in the one line that rises from those three legs to go to the top of the circle. So the three in the Trinity, individually and as one fill that whole circle. And that circle represents unity, wholeness and the infinite.
Think of all that in relation to peace. The word peace is used many times in the Bible. One of those times was when there was a storm on the lake and Jesus spoke to it, said 'Peace, be still' and it obeyed. Do you think it is any harder for the Lord to speak peace to your heart and your situation? I think not. Just look at these two verses in the book of John. Chapter 14, verse 27; 'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid'. And again in chapter 16, verse 33; 'These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world'.
Peace is found in the Lord. Contentment and solace is found in the Lord. When you enter into a relationship with Him, when you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, give yourself wholly to Him, there is serenity and calmness to be found. When you are in Him, you are not in the world, just as that scripture reference above attested to. When you are in that place of harmony with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the world and it's troubles can come at you all it wants, but you know the strength and rest to be found in that circle of divine tranquility. As we abide in Him, there we find our peace. There we find our rest.
Wow, my mind just continues to be blown away by all that He does for us. The divine substitution if you will, that He makes for us. For our sins He gives us forgiveness and remission of those sins. For our mortal bodies, He gives us a home with Him in eternity. For our fear He gives us courage. For our weakness, He gives us strength. For our anxiety and apprehension, He gives us peace. And not a fleeting peace, but an ever-lasting peace. Not just a piece of peace; but a never-ending peace. So truly peace, man! All this as we just trust in Him, enter into that heavenly realm, here on earth. Forever and ever, without end, just like that circle, only this one is filled with Him and all of His blessed gifts for us.