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Choose to Live in Peace

With more than 80 references in the New Testament alone, we know that “peace” is a significant theme from God’s point of view. The angels announced the coming of the Prince of Peace with the proclamation of glory to God and peace on earth. This link between the glory of God and peace among humans is not accidental.

In our world, particularly western culture just now, agitation has replaced peace. People are agitated about their dwindling investments, their job security, their pension funds, their personal safety, their status in society and the list goes on, and on, and on. So, what’s wrong? Jesus declared to His followers: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27 ESV). Was that an empty promise? Perhaps a cruel joke?

Of course not! Just because someone intends for you to have something doesn’t mean that you take and enjoy it. I can think of a few occasions when I have tried to give something to people and they refused it. I was sincere. The offer was genuine. But they wouldn’t accept it. They chose to turn it down even though it was for their benefit.

Generally, Christians appreciate the prospect of eternal peace in a blissful, celestial setting. They frequently say they long for it. This gives away the fact that they are not living in peace now. Oh, they want peace one day in heaven, but right now, well, they’d prefer to handle things on their own. Turmoil of soul is the price they pay - at least one of the prices they pay.

People overextend themselves relationally, financially, physically, emotionally and any other way you can imagine for some perceived advantage. All they see is the short term benefit. They effectively shut out rational thoughts about what this perceived benefit is doing to their relationships, health, and ability to do what God has called them to.

It’s easy for us to look at particular segments of society and point the finger at them - the usual suspects, the hedonists, the gamblers, the street drug users... generally people living high-risk lives. Some Christians even seem to enjoy the fact that these people are short on peace, whether we’re talking peace with one’s self, peace with others, or peace with God. They say, “That’s to be expected given the way they choose to live.”

But if you were to go for a “peace hunt” in the lives of these Christians, some of them would come up just as short as the people they like to point at. This is because, though Jesus offers peace to His children, they choose not to take it.

The peace that comes through the Lord Jesus Christ, is rooted in total trust in and dependence on Him. We can have peace because we look to Him to provide for our needs. We don’t have to depend on our wisdom, our strength, our talent, our creativity, our connections or anything else.

Though He always cares for us, we only experience the benefit of that care when we surrender to Him everything that might possibly make us anxious. Here’s how Peter put it: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV).

As long as we insist on taking responsibility for our own lives, from the most basic provision for our basic daily needs to our most extravagant, long-range aspirations, we’re going to have to go it alone. We won’t have His peace, because we are choosing to not have it.

Peace comes at a price and, too often, we are reluctant to pay it. Even though we are quick to confess that we have peace with God because Jesus died for our sin and we accepted His gift of eternal life, we live without the peace of God because we refuse to surrender all aspects of our life into His hands.

Choosing peace is something we do every day. There is an aspect which falls into the once-for-all category, that is the peace we have with God because our sin has been dealt with at the cross. But there is an aspect of peace which falls into the moment-by-moment category, that is the peace that comes from knowing that God has only our best in mind. He is perfectly capable of working all of the situations of life around for our good. Nothing that happens to us does so without His permission and His creativity in making it ultimately turn out for the best for us.

Take an inventory of your life. Identify the areas which you have yet to surrender to God. Then consciously and intentionally choose to live in peace by placing those very things into His out-stretched hands.

Ron Hughes
© Febuary 2009