Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

• John 14:27

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

• Philippians 4:7

“Peace is of divine origin; thus, it is completely satisfying and filling. It is strengthening to both mind and body. Divine peace fills us with grace. It comforts, protects and guards. It is a wellspring within our being, flooding and filling our souls with courage, hope and confidence. It annihilates restlessness, insecurity, fear and doubt.
“The peace which the world gives holds no promise of eternity, nor does it answer our needs or satisfy our innermost unrest and dissatisfaction. Search as we may, we will always find that the world’s peace is neither lasting nor satisfying. Such feelings of peace are transitory. The world cannot give genuine peace because it has none to give. Peace, we are told, is not of earthly manufacture.
“We take Christ into our hearts by faith. Our soul’s salvation is assured by faith in Christ Jesus, God’s own Word of Peace.”

• Roy Z. Kemp, Measure for Living

Boilerplate

In this new mini-series, I found an old book of mine in my wife’s things.  I did not know that she had it, but she loved collecting inspirational poems.  She had a knack for skimming over the subject matter that the Sunday school class would discuss.  Then she would thumb through the poetry and devotional books on the shelf and seemingly pick one at random.  Then she would open the book to a seemingly random page and read a prayer or two.  Then she would nod her head and place a bookmark at what she had found.  Then after the Sunday school class had wandered around the subject, going down various rabbit holes along the way, she would end the class with the poem and a short prayer.  And the poem seemed to summarize what we had talked about, even the side trails down rabbit holes.  It fit so perfectly every time.

I do not think she ever quoted this book, but it was a keepsake.  I had never read it.  The inscription in the front of the book states, “It has been a joy to have had you this year.  It has been a friendship I will cherish.”  It was signed by the woman who lived next door to my mother’s mother.  She taught piano and organ.  I took organ lessons.

Do not ask me to play anything on the piano.  I learned by gently gliding over the keys, not by striking them.  And after 55+ years of not practicing, I would be lost after a few bars of Swingin’ Shepherd Blues.

Discussion

I could say that my time in the military was in a time of peace, but you could say my entire military experience was in the Cold War.  The peace was an uneasy one.  NATO wanted to test our readiness.  The Communist Bloc would get bored and move armored vehicles from one place to another.  NATO would respond.

The peace in Europe in the 1970s was peace in that no weapons were fired at the other side, but there was a certain edginess to the peace, and we lost several hours of sleep each month proving that we were “ready.”  It very rarely lasted more than a day, unless you had some of my assignments that lasted a bit longer.

But in talking with soldiers and officers who served in Korea, there was rarely a day that a weapon wasn’t fired.  They were either fired into the air or the person had bad aim.

Then we have the latest ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Iranian proxies (Hamas and Hezbollah).  The shooting may stop for a few days, but that usually means that they are in the process of rearming.

But with Jesus Christ in our heart, we can have a lasting peace.  We know that God is in control and even if we lose our life, our life afterwards is in the presence of our Lord and Savior.  And that is even better.

But God’s peace is a spiritual peace where we can be assured that God is there, always near us and within us.  The world’s rat race cannot get our peace roiled if we are relying on God every moment.

Closing Prayer

“Somehow, the darkest night will have an end
And morning, bright and fresh, shall surely dawn.
Have patience, trust and hope, and God will send
His blessed healing, bid despair be gone.

Look up with faith and wait this blessed healing.
He soon will gently wipe away your tears.
The little pricks of sorrow you are feeling
Are just God’s way to test you down the years.”

• Roy Z. Kemp, Measure for Living (God’s Testing)

“Father, guide me.  Help me feel the poetry.  You give us Your peace, but we often hang it in the closet instead of wearing it.  We try to do things on our own, and that never works out.  Yet, when we rest in Your arms, the peace is inexpressible, and if we stayed there, it would be ever lasting.  Help us keep our eyes on You, Lord.  In Thy Name I pray.
“Amen”

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.