My Peace
“Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.” Job 22:21
I’ve been thinking a lot about peace lately. There seems to be so little of it in the world, and it seems so easy to try to blame that on any number of obvious suspects.
Peace is something I think we all strive for, but it is something many of us (me included) struggle with.
My sense is that it is because of where we look. So often we’re inclined to look to those things that we have control over. Perhaps it’s something material. If I just owned this, or lived there, or had a better job – I would have peace. Perhaps it’s our relationships with others. Loneliness and longing to be in a relationship or perhaps loneliness and longing because our existing relationships aren’t living up to our expectations may affect our sense of peace.
I know that I also indulge in feelings of frustration when I allow things that I don’t feel I have control over to affect my sense of peace. World peace seems threatened by an unnecessary war begun under false pretenses and perpetuated through fear of the consequences of failure. Religious fundamentalism both at home and abroad is upsetting. The senseless hysterical fear of both Christians and Muslims used to justify brutality and murder in the name of God is shocking. Self-importance, self-righteousness, bias, close mindedness, cynicism, deception, and manipulation are all deeply disturbing to me.
The problem is that all of our attempts to discuss and resolve these issues fail. We all seem to want peace, but we all want it under our own terms.
So what CAN we do?
I think that we have to start by recognizing that our feeble efforts fail because they all come down to human attempts to pattern the divine. Peace is an attribute of God. Any human attempt to replace that quality with something of our own making (however noble) is doomed sooner or later to fall short and be unsatisfying.
Peace is found, as Job said, in seeking greater understanding of our Maker. It is a surrender of all of our merely material concerns and our need to control and pass judgment on the outcome. Jesus was trying to tell us the same thing when he said, “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.” (John 14:27) His peace derived from His oneness with the Father. He encourages us to follow His example and seek Peace from the same source rather than the crude illusion the world offers. When we look to God, we find peace reflected in all of His creation. We get to replace hate with love, trouble with blessing, and fear with trust. Then we become the peacemakers of the Beatitudes and our reward is that we see peace everywhere.
Clearly we’ve got a lot of work to do, but that’s as it should be since it is the work of a lifetime.
February 1st, 2007 at 4:40 pm
About not having control over some things, I have peace if I don’t watch TV or read anything.
February 2nd, 2007 at 9:25 am
Ria,
Nice to hear from you again.
It is certainly tempting to protect yourself from those things that are upsetting. But isn’t that also putting your candle under a basket? The world clearly has need of you and your thoughts. Our mission as disciples after all is to go into every village and town and heal them.
Jeff
February 5th, 2007 at 3:07 am
While trying to find peace in verse recently I could’nt. But, I then ran across the song “Calling On Angels” by Train. It is sort of silly but, let me share part of it with you:
I need to know that things are gonna look up
‘Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from a cup
When there is no place safe and no safe place to put my head
When you feel the world shake from the words that are said
When children have to play inside so they don’t disappear
I want a reason for the way things have to be
I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me
And I’m calling all angels, I’m calling all you angels
I won’t give up if you don’t give up
Kinda reminded me of the power or hope and of peace. Great topic. Thx.
February 5th, 2007 at 5:14 am
I’m too curious to stick my head in the sand. And of course, as a follower these are fantastic times we live in. Prophecy is moving forward. It’s interesting to watch it unfold. The more acquainted with scripture, the less frightening the world events.
I want to let you know “Friends of God” about the evangelical movement and politics was on HBO during the superbowl. I didnt get to see it. It should be on again soon.
February 5th, 2007 at 7:27 am
Both Ria and Will,
Thanks for your thoughts.
Why are we all here, if not to make a difference?
To take a phrase that Will posted, we are swimming in a sea of public consciousness. That thought affects perception which then affects action. Our prayer changes that perception however slightly. Our actions are an example to others that everyone doesn’t necessary view the world in the same way.
As Christians we are the living proof that the Christ, God’s idea, is still changing the world today in the same way Jesus did, one person at a time.
So each prayer, each selfless act of love, each demonstration of listening to God disturbs the pool of human thought. Each ripple when it hits the shore softens the hardened rocks just a little until they crack into smaller rocks and eventually become a beautiful beach.
Thanks for the contributions I know both of you are making toward changing the world.
Jeff
February 8th, 2007 at 12:54 am
Luke 2:
13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: 14) Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.
Peace? God wishes for peace among men of goodwill, only: a select company of men, if there ever was one…
February 8th, 2007 at 7:50 am
Erich,
Good to see you spending some time with the Bible too. I think that there is more to you than you are willing to let on. -g-
Don’t know what translation you’re working with, but here’s how the King James version renders that passage.
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
This way of describing the joy and anticipation at the birth of Jesus is really beautiful. God and all those souls who had gone before were celebrating the fact that world as they knew it would never be the same. Mankind was finally ready for a new revelation and a new promise. This promise is peace and salvation for all mankind.
In my reading the promise of peace extends to the whole world. You can also find numerous quotes from the new testament where Jesus repeated this promise. This promise goes unfulfilled for those who choose to turn away from God and follow their vanity. But I think that the story of Paul is evidence that even those who reject God eventually tire of trying to fill the void that they have created in their lives and turn like tired children back to their Father.
So it’s like that old Fram comercial, you can pay me now or you can pay me later. -g-
Jeff