OFTENTIMES WE FEEL swept away by forces outside our control. Unforeseen circumstances of life seem like a river at flood stage, and it is muddy brown even in the roiling white-water sections. There are uprooted trees and all kinds of dangerous debris swirling and bobbing in the violent cross-currents. And there we are, caught in the turbulence, out of energy, just trying to catch a safe breath and longing desperately to be sitting on the bank of the river rather than in it. Tired and worn out, with no way out—except perhaps to drown—we just keep on swimming, one breath, one flailing arm tiredly following another.
We Christians are frequently called to hear of the trials and sufferings that many of us face on a daily basis, and privileged to pray with and for those who are ‘drowning.’ It comes as no surprise to any of us that recent world events have increased the anxiety level of so many. But surely it is more than that. The stripping away of any sense of peace in the world has exposed the basic nature of the eternal battle between good and evil, and with that comes not just a sense of dis-ease that produces anxiety, but also a certain stark clarity regarding spiritual warfare at global, national, family, and individual personal levels. The assault by our common enemy is total. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1Pet. 5:8) Every level of the structures that support civilization has been violated, and the wounds lay exposed and untreated. The legislative, executive, and judicial branches of our government are at diametrical odds with each other. As Christians, we experientially understand that “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25)
The television screen intermittently but unrelentingly displays the bodies of the dead from war spread ‘round the globe, and in our city streets, those from gun violence. The breathtaking ups and downs of the great gambling casino—not Vegas; the stock market—is displayed, and brings a sense of nauseating vertigo. The church is seen on trial, figuratively and literally, for its sins; the Roman Catholic Church is no longer alone in its ugly ‘hidden’ sins. And these latter have violated the sense of sanctuary for the faithful. Famine and plague, wars and rumors of war, plague and volcanoes, and on and on and on roll the images on our LED flatscreens. It’s not at all new, all these issues, but our access to them in this information age is unlimited and unprecedented and overwhelming. Doesn’t it seem like there should be some place, someone we can turn to put this in a more hopeful perspective?
While we live in the rush of danger mostly vicariously, the apostle Paul experienced it in real time, and often. Maybe we should take an example from him, and consider both his circumstances and his enduring faith. “Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.” (2 Cor. 11:25-27)
These life-events took place over decades, and required of Paul a reason for going on past the worst of times. And he found that only through his unshakeable faith in Jesus was there a transcending and enduring hope. He shares his faith with us. “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Cor. 4:6-9)
God’s word is indeed a ‘light shining out of darkness’ for us. If things seem a bit overwhelming right now, either personally or as a globally aware citizen, take a time-out to “touch the hem of his garment.” (Mark 5:28) We are “children of God” (1 John 3:1) We are also citizens of the “Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matt. 16:19a) Rather than have the constant and incessant drone of the audio-visual stimulation of bad news control our minds and emotions, let us instead think about “the good news of God.” (Mark 1:15) Let us resolve to interrupt our standard routines, and plan a moment this day for a time of peace Maybe a walk? Or just a quiet time at lunch? Having worked this out mentally, let us be intentional, and do it. As Paul says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Col. 3:2) And in that time of peace, just come to God and be restored. Hear God’s word to the Psalmist: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psa. 46:10)
We can alter our disposition. We must, and must “set our faces like flint” (Isa. 50:7c) if we are to find “the peace that passes understanding.” (Phil. 4:7) Let us regularly practice our prayer life, hear His voice more clearly, and be willing to do what He reveals to us. Then, and only then, we will find ourselves snatched out of the raging river. This promise lies within our grasp: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” (Rev. 22:1)
Q. Is the practice of peace like a river flowing through my soul?
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