Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.

• Matthew 5:9

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

• Luke 2:14

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

• Philippians 4:7

“With elementary power, the call for peace breaks through again and again in humankind: it was heard for the first time powerfully and strongly in the ancient prophets, and now again in recent times it is everywhere in the longing for world peace. But as beautiful and seriously intended as all these hopes are, they do not recognize that the peace we need is the peace that comes down from eternity, the peace of God with human beings, with every single one of us….
“Having peace means knowing oneself borne, knowing oneself loved, knowing oneself protected; it means being able to be still, quite still. Having peace with people means being able to build unshakably on their faithfulness; it means knowing oneself at one with them, knowing oneself forgiven by them. Having peace means having a homeland in the unrest of the world; it means having solid ground under one’s feet. Though the waves may now rage and break, they can no longer rob me of my peace. My peace has made me free from the world, made me strong against the world, made me ready for the other world. But the fact that we are to have such peace with God is something that goes beyond all human comprehension, beyond all reason.”

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I Want to Live These Days with You (devotion for September 10, devotions compiled from his writings)

In looking at the world today, everyone is calling for peace.  They are doing so angrily, with shouts that those who disagree with them should die and get it over with.

Many of the nations want peace, but they spell it “p-i-e-c-e.”  They want a piece of another country, territory, or continent.  Others just want peace, but those that live around them will never agree to peace unless the people on the other side are dead.  Note: Never negotiate with a terrorist, even if the organization is the ruling body of a country.

The problem is twofold.  Bonhoeffer said that the only true peace is peace with God, the peace that surpasses all understanding.  But the other factor is that we all love peace on earth, but we do not want to make peace.

The psychotic thing that went into a change in the Law was when they decided that hurtful words were a form of harm.  And the people that are protected by that law can say those things and get away with it.  Then the division between political opinions became so much of a gulf that there could never be a middle ground.  Then the same law was twisted a bit, “If you had control of the political power, or the police were afraid of you, then anyone that disagreed with you was doing harm to you.”  So, one side wanted peace, and the other side got peace as long as you behaved and did not tell them that they were wrong.  But deep down, both sides are still angry, both sides have a stick of political dynamite and a lit flame inches from the fuse.

We could not make peace due to everyone wanting a “piece” of everyone that disagreed with them.

On the home front, the neighborhood is settling down.  Then again, the troublemakers have gotten what they want and as long as no one complains, we can have peace.  I noticed a puddle of used oil in the parking place directly in front of the house.  The troublemakers changed their oil there and poured the used oil on the street.  I have not gotten a fine for polluting the town, so I have not complained.

Is that peace?

Bonhoeffer is right.  The peace that is lasting is the peace from knowing that God loves us and Jesus has already secured the victory.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.