Dear Ones:
In every consideration of any and all subjects pertaining to life, to understand what is not only right and wrong, but also, good and wholesome, we begin with God and Him alone. We come back again and again to the fact of God existing before creation, and by creations, He alone is the One who knows how life is to be viewed and lived. Nowhere is this so apparent than in the consideration of “peace,” its true essence, and the imperative of its experience.
In Scripture, we find that true peace is disposition of heart and mind, the very reflection and expression of the nature of God. Nowhere is this so clearly seen as when the Lord Jesus, in speaking of His soon departure from this world, would say to His disciples: “…Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (Jn. 14:27) The peace of God is a gift of God. It was the very peace that Christ knew and lived, and it is this that he gives to His disciples. It is a peace not of this world, but from heaven. It is a peace that cannot be explained, nor grasped, but can be experienced.
In Annie Marston’s great hymn, “I Thank Thee Lord,” we read:
“…I take Thee for my peace O Lord, my heart to keep and fill, Thine own great calm, amid earth’s storms, shall keep me always still. And as thy kingdom doth increase, so shall Thine ever-deepening peace.”
The story is told of John Wesley, when he was in the hold of a stormed tossed ship, where there were several Moravian families. Wesley was overwhelmed by the fact that he had come to the new world to “save” the heathen, and yet, right before him were whole families, men, women, and children, who knew the peace of God in a way he knew nothing about. He could not explain it, only that he did not have it, and could not produce it.
One of the great proofs and signs of confirmation of the Lord’s guidance is the pervasive peace that He gives. Paul wrote to the Colossians, “…and let the peace of God RULE in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body…” (Col. 3:15) It stands to reason that if we do not have the God-given peace of God at a certain time, then we need to stop and find out why. It may be that we are not on the right path. It may mean that sin has crept in, by a wrong attitude towards something or someone. The essential thing is that it be dealt with, so that we can again, know the blessed peace of God, and this in our step by step walk with Him.
Peace is imperative…the experience of His peace.
Love, Dad