That In Me You Might Have Peace

     I just woke up from a dream. A sweet dream. I was in a church service and began sensing the Holy Spirit telling me to stand up and address the group on the topic of "Peace." The person in charge gave me the floor and I began to address those in attendance about the serious need for peace in our lives. The crowd was receptive to my words and as we began to sing the old song, "Peace Give I To Thee" the power of the Holy Spirit began ministering to people on an individual basis and great joy was released in the hearts of the believers. It was a sweet dream. I woke up singing the song in my head and recalling the heart-warming sense of God's presence that I had experienced. Made for a good start to the morning. Then, as I proceeded to get on with the routine of feeding the dogs, letting them out, making coffee, etc. I couldn't shake the fact that maybe the content of this dream wasn't just for me, but relevant and vital for someone else to reflect upon.
     As I began to meditate on it a bit more, I thought about all the things that normally one would consider, remember from books, or heard in a sermon at church or Sunday school, when the idea of peace takes center stage of ones mind. Everyone need peace. There is no one on the planet without the need for peace in some capacity. We seek peace personally, politically, socially, financially, materially, and spiritually. That is very telling about who we are collectively as people, friends, communities, and nations. Peace also plays a part of a craftily developed marketing scheme used through multi-media to bombard the population at large to get us to buy products. Actors in commercials portray everyday people like ourselves experiencing the "peace" that comes through the assurance of buying, or buying into, a particular insurance company, investment brokerage, law firm, medical product, clothing line, car company, or baby food. We like the "peace" that comes with knowing things are "covered" and that we've done all we can on our part to ensure our stake in this material world. We also seek peace among races and religions and governments and are met daily with blaring TV and Radio news coverage that keeps us all too aware of the deepening chasm that is keeping peace at a distance between all of these groups. Plus, it continues feeding the fear that, unless we do something drastic, the prospect for peace will soon be fatally crushed and it will be all our fault. Intensifying the anxiety in our lives and adding to our search for something to soothe it.
     The fact of the matter is that nothing is new under the sun. The Bible tells us story after story in Old and New Testaments about people seeking peace individually, collectively as groups, and as a nation, all the while dealing with the same basic issues of relationships, economics, politics, religion and race. It's the same story today as it always has been. Only the characters have changed. Jesus spoke to this very issue in his life and ministry because he saw the conflict in those around him daily who lived in fear of the Roman government occupying Israel. People who had once ruled themselves as a great sovereign nation under God, via the greatest set of laws ever given to mankind, now lived in fear of total political captivity by a barbaric pagan government who worshipped Caesar, a mere man, as "god." It was not only horrific political and religious oppression, but economically a hardship as well, paying taxes to Caesar AND Israel. Jesus was not out of the loop of the fight the Israeli zealot's were waging, trying to break free of Roman occupation and political domination. One would think that he would have righteously picked up a sword and joined the fight. After all, he preached about God's kingdom all the time and spoke of freedom and love. Hardly realistic under the present circumstances. Many wondered why Jesus didn't jump on the political bandwagon. Believing he could be the promised Messiah, working the miracles they saw him do, why wasn't he fulfilling the promise of Israel's restoration? Wouldn't that finally bring "peace"?
     But Jesus was speaking of something different. In John 14:27 Jesus said, "I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid."  Jesus wasn't getting on the bandwagon of something this world offers, like politics, religion, economics, law firms, banks, insurance, car manufacturers, or baby food. Jesus was offering the real deal. Peace that passes understanding that comes from one place and one place alone. A GIFT FROM GOD. Jesus knew that everything in this world fails. The old saying, "God is in the details." might be good for an element of mental security when trying to be resourceful and tying up loose ends, but the best attempts at securing our lives and futures can be met with a swift and immediate downturn, bringing the best plans to an end. I know a faithful minister of the Gospel whose retirement plan of nearly $1 million dollars was reduced overnight to $90 thousand dollars when the stock market fell after the 9/11 attacks on New York City. That kind of loss to ones collected savings as they were approaching retirement would need more than a new plan. Security was in place from years of hard work and saving and investing and then, in a split second, lost. Certainly a sense of "peace" would be in order. A different KIND of peace. The peace they had in place is exactly the "world peace" that Jesus was speaking of. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it fails. Jesus wanted to offer the kind that doesn't. We are all too familiar with the "peace" that falls short of meeting our expectations. Jesus wasn't condemning the wisdom of saving, investing, etc. The peace that DOESN'T fail will not come from our saving, buying, investing, procuring, hoarding, storing, sensible eating habits, vitamin taking, or hard work. It comes as a free gift from God that is invested into the core of your being for such times as when the "world peace" we have WORKED FOR fails us. Or when we get a doctors report that might crush our future expectations and ruin our savings. There IS a peace that "passes understanding" which allows us to know that we are, and always will remain, God's responsibility until everything that He has planned for us is finished. The promise doesn't imply that we are somehow exempt from the calamities that come from living in a broken world, or a body that is dying because of sin. It gives us the assurance that nothing can separate us from His love and keep Him from bringing us to Himself when all is said and done. No slip up, mistake, error, bad judgment call, offense or the worst of sins can change His everlasting love for us. The curse of the Law and its decrees that was written against us has been nailed to a cross and broken. By knowing that fact we remain in a place of understanding God's provision that gives us a better covenant with better promises.
    When it SEEMS that everything the world promises to bring us as a personal, material, social, religious and political security begins to lose its foundation beneath us, which we believed was stable, there is a gentle reminder that comes in the form of a still small voice speaking to the depths of our innermost being saying, "These things have I spoken to you, that you might have peace...."  (John 16:33) Be wise and do the things you need to do with your time and resources. No one thinks these are foolish. But don't be worse than foolish and refuse the GIFT of PEACE that only comes freely from God, who Himself is the only thing that doesn't change and remains stable, faithful, loving and present in this life. He knows what we need and has made something far more secure available simply for the asking. Receive His peace...

Drink deeply...