EVERY GENERATION HAS HAD ITS STRIFE, its cultural conflicts, its wars. And every generation has sought peace, only to find it difficult to establish, hard to maintain, and tenuous at best. Perhaps one or two here or there has fared far better than the norm, but the fate common to all has been one of unresolved tension. Cultural pressures on a large scale—such as war, famine, or plague—works its insidious way through every stratum of society and every person in that society, and brings pressure to bear on all. Mothers and fathers fear greatly for their children, and perhaps so much so that they enter into formal organized protests. Political parties fear for their nation, but also for their dearly held personal interests and party powers; oftentimes their rivals are not only the nation in opposition, but the party of their own nation in opposition to them. Students protest against the government, labor unions strike, and so it goes, on and on. And nowhere is peace to be found. The prophet observes, “The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks along them will know peace.” (Isa. 59:8)
Some individuals are better at finding peace than others, whether that be through happenstance or intentionality, fate or faith. Paul speaks of the peace found in faith, and in particular that such peace is found in Jesus. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)
Jesus offers peace, not from, but in spite of our trials. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30) The rest Jesus speaks of is not simply that of cessation from work, but is all-inclusive; it is a peace possible in every circumstance. Paul adds to his own earlier thoughts. “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:12-13)
Peace in its absence is a stressor to individuals and nations alike. Stress is a universal human condition, and one that all long to escape from. And, it has been with us throughout recorded history. The solution is yet to be found outside ourselves. Individually, it can be both pursued and also perhaps even found within ourselves. However, history teaches that on a universal macro scale it has never been found, and this leads us to think that it will not be.
Yet scripture, speaking both positively and prophetically, says that peace will be found. “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.” (Isa. 2:2) People of the entire world will stream into Jerusalem . “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” (Isa. 2:3) The people of the world will be drawn to peace because they will come to understand that the righteousness of God is something they can finally and fully trust, since the promises of the world have so demonstrably failed in every nation and in every generation. “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.” (Isa. 2:4a) And the trust that people have found in God will extend to other people across racial, ethnic, national, and cultural lines. “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Isa. 2:4b) Israel will find her place amongst the nations, as the priesthood to the nations. “Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” (Isa. 2:5) And all of the world, and all of its people, will finally find peace.
This is the hope of each generation—but until the promise of God for the world is ultimately realized, this peace is only ours individually and in the company of like-Spirited people. The rest of the world, those around us now, those in the dust of history, and those yet to be born, must wait, but we need not. In God, in our life and in our times, this hope becomes realized as we receive and practice it. It is a promise today for us, for those of us who submit our lives to Christ and indeed find ‘the peace of God, which transcends all understanding.’ In this, the words of the prophet are made true: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isa. 26:3)
Q. Is my mind steadfast upon my Lord?
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