“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 15:13

Throughout our lives there are many issues that are sources of stress and conflict.  Our normal tendency is the “fight or flight” response that brings with it anxiety and frustration.  Yet as Christians we’re called to be peaceful and encouraged to seek peace. Often, our inability to find peace is related to one of two things:  we don’t know the true source and/or we’re looking for it in the wrong places.  Further, do we really have a good understanding of what peace is?  When we consider the definition of peace, we often believe it to be the absence of stressful circumstances, i.e. no war, no conflict, no illness, no pain, etc. and therefore no angst.  However, true peace is the presence of a tangible gift that is a defensive weapon in our arsenal.  It is a gift that we must choose to accept and learn to wield.

Real and lasting peace is a gift from our Heavenly Father.   Several times throughout the New Testament we see the statement “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Philippians 1:2)   In fact, at least thirteen books of the New Testament open with this greeting.  Consider also the Aaronic blessing found in Numbers 6: “The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.” These statements recognize that God is the source of effective and lasting peace.  It does not exist without Him.  Once we accept this fact, we begin to understand that it is a precious gift that He offers to us as His children.  Others may have periods that are free from threats, but they will never know true peace apart from a relationship with God.

God provides many things to mankind, but He never forces them upon us.  He offers His love, His redemption, a relationship, and engagement in the work of His kingdom, but He does not impose it.  Peace is one of those things as well.  It is not thrust upon us; we must accept it.  Colossians 3:15 exhorts us to “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts”.  The word “let” indicates two things:  first, that we must accept the gift and second, that this may not be our normal inclination.  These two facets are closely related.  The latter is our natural tendency because we look at the things that we can see rather than relying on our sovereign Lord and the spiritual forces working on our behalf.  Consequently, when we focus on our painful circumstances or look to our doctors, treatments, friends or other remedies as the source of relief from threatening situations, we are in fact rejecting God’s provision of peace.  However, when we humbly pour out our hearts to Him and allow Him to replace our anxiety with peace that “surpasses understanding”, we are graciously accepting His gift.  By receiving it, we permit it to work freely in our lives to calm and refresh our souls as well as preventing discord.

From the outset, we must understand that peace is both a healing balm and a useful weapon.  It is a healing balm in that peace washing over us restores our souls and gives us strength to go on.  Further, it is through peace that our relationships are maintained or mended. It is a weapon in that it defends us against the effects of the sin in our lives.  As trials and conflicts come, it protects our souls.  By turning to God, trusting in His plan for us and accepting the gift of peace, we shield ourselves from turmoil and the negative impact of stress on our minds and bodies.  In Psalm 34:14 David reminds us to “seek peace and pursue it”.  Due to sin, we are not predisposed to peace and, therefore, must learn how to employ it effectively.  Like any other skill, the only way that it can be honed is through practice.  It is a progressive process.  As a trial comes, we accept God’s peace.  When the next difficulty comes, we look to our first experience and more readily seek God’s peace.  By repeating the process, our confidence in God’s peace grows and we learn to turn to Him first and accept the peace that only He can provide.  Once that takes place, then we can pursue His wisdom and discernment to move forward as He directs us.  It is not that we give up our responsibility to act, but rather that with peaceful spirits we can act more rationally and with grace for the sake of our souls as well as those who learn from us.

Understand that I do wish to understate the level of difficulty.  Like many facets of Christian life, it is much easier to discuss the behavior than to implement it.  I have areas in my own life where I struggle to allow a peaceful spirit to reign.  I also have several friends in difficult circumstances who are struggling to be at peace.  It is not that they are weak in faith, but rather that their struggles are immense and demand great effort.  For them, I write this as an encouragement.  For myself, I write it as a reminder to be vigilant in pursuing peace as well as other godly traits.  Wherever you find yourself in this spectrum, I pray that you will trust your Lord, accept His gift of peace and allow it to heal and protect you.   “Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!”  (2 Thessalonians 3:16)

While the following video is a bit long, it includes an introduction that tells the story of the man who penned the words.  It is my belief that understanding the history of this hymn makes it a more effective source of praise and encouragement.