Peace Of God

Peace is one of those words almost everyone likes.

I think it’s safe to say, if you don’t like peace, something’s wrong with you. Many secular songs I remember sing of peace. John Lennon wrote and then sang this line over 20 times in one song “All we are saying is give peace a chance,”. Or the Cat Stevens song, “Oh, peace train, glide on the peace train, come on, now, peace train. Everyone jump on the peace train. Come on, now, peace train.”

Those references may have taken some of you way back, but here’s the truth- most everyone prefers peace to war. We want peace, not strife.

It's also true as we go about our daily lives in America where we have relative peace, the undercurrent of war and destruction continues to flow throughout the world. Throughout history there has never been a time where peace on earth existed everywhere. Hard as we might try, we can’t sing it away. Knowing this to be true should remind all Christians of the urgent need for something more powerful than songs - prayer. So, as we think about praying for peace, here are some questions to ponder.

Just how should a Christian pray for peace since we know that violence, war, and terror are some of the signs to come before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ? Should we pray for temporary truces between nations, which in most cases seem fleeting and ineffective? Because wars have come and gone for centuries should we conclude that all the prayers for peace have had no effect?

Perhaps knowing God’s plans for the return of Jesus, who will bring an end to all suffering, are His and His alone can give us a clue to how our prayers for peace in the world can be effective.

Here’s the first point - clearly, we can pray for peace to come within the souls of those despairing in our war-torn world. We can intercede for our fellow travelers, starting with the Lord’s prayer: "Thy kingdom come." Then we can model our prayers for peace after that desire and Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians: “Now the Lord of Peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all”. (2 Thessalonians 3:16)

These prayers are a model for us to ask for God’s Kingdom to return and to declare Jesus Christ as the Lord of Peace.

As we think of peace, we shouldn’t discount that many have presided over peace sessions, secured peace treaties, and even won peace awards. Yet, in Jesus, we have someone far more effective. He is not just a participant in peace efforts; He presides over peace itself. He is not just the author of peace treaties; He is the author of peace.

When we pray to Jesus for peace, we do not rely on someone who only hopes for peace or negotiates for it. We rely on the one who can command peace. This knowledge of who He is, should direct our prayers for all to come to faith in Him. Those who do will find this truth from Philippians 4:7; “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.

In Christ, all who submit to Him will have this peace even when circumstances and the very world around them seems to be falling apart. We can have confidence of a sure answer to our prayer for peace in the one who presides over peace.

The second point is that there is peace we must labor for. In Matthew 5:9 Jesus promised a blessing to the peacemakers, implying effort. When it comes to peace with our brothers and sisters, we must work for it. However, peace for our soul cannot be attained through our efforts alone. It evades us the harder we try to grasp it. It’s a great joy to realize that God gives us this inner peace as a free gift.

And wouldn’t it be frustrating if we concluded that peace came only through our efforts? It is comforting to recognize that Jesus Christ is the giver of true and lasting peace. Look back to our text from Paul who declares, “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace.” His prayer indicates that genuine peace is a gift from God.

Father, I do want to pray for the peacemakers and their efforts to end conflict in this world. But knowing human efforts fall short, I pray all the more for the abiding peace that can only be found in Jesus Christ. Make a way for the Gospel message to come to all who suffer in these conflicts. Draw them to you so they may find eternal comfort and hope through Jesus Christ in whose name I pray. Amen.


Credit: Ron Kelley