But lest you begin to despair that attaining peace is not possible, let me assure you that it is. Luke 2:14 tells us that the angel of the Lord appeared long ago to the shepherds on the hills surrounding Bethlehem with this message: “ Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.” If we break down the message we see the first part declaring that God would be glorified by the coming of His Son to earth and the second part tells us that the earth would have peace and good will towards men. That may sound like an overly simplistic explanation to this message but I think it is one that we often overlook because it is in a portion of Scripture that we know by heart but rarely think about.
This message came at a time when there wasn’t peace on the earth. The Roman government was a harsh government and it’s taxation was cruel. The people of the day were looking for a Deliverer. Someone to save them from their Roman masters. Someone to give them peace. Throughout history, man has been searching for peace and today is no different.
The Lord has promised us peace, yet many times we don’t feel that peace. We get caught up in the strife around us. There are wars and rumors of wars all around us, yet as Christians we can still feel the peace that passes all understanding. Psalm 121:4 says “behold He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep”. God cares about you. He is not asleep. He is watching over you and wants to give you peace.
When we have a deep trust in the Lord we can have that peace that never passes away. That trust breeds peace. A peace that the world cannot understand because they do not have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Phillipians 4:7 promises “and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
This is a promise from God but I believe that it must be an act of will on our part as well. We must put our trust in the Lord completely and when we fully rely on Him, we will have the peace that only He can give. We will have the assurance that He will take care of us no matter what.
Peter had that kind of peace when he saw the Lord, Jesus, walking on the water. Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards the Lord. He never questioned the laws of gravity. And he was safe as long as he kept his eyes on the Lord. But just like us, when he took his eyes off Jesus and put them on his situation, he stopped trusting and lost his peace.
God has never promised that He would keep us from all trouble, but He has promised to be with us in our troubles. When Jesus and the disciples were in the boat, crossing over to the other side and the storm rose up against them, Jesus wasn’t concerned. He spoke three very important words to the storm: “peace be still” and the storm had to obey.
Do you have a storm you need Jesus to speak to? Only He can calm a storm that is raging in your life. Calmness, peacefulness and quiet should all be a part of the Christian’s life. There is a peace that the world offers. But it’s the type of peace that we can only have when everything is going the way we want it to and there is no disturbance anywhere. As if that is ever going to happen.
But Jesus offers us a peace that is totally different. He said in John 14:27 “my peace I now give... you... do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” We shouldn’t worry; we shouldn’t be anxious; we shouldn’t be fearful, when we do we are no longer trusting in the Lord to keep us safe, we are looking at our circumstances.
Jesus gives us a peace that functions in the storm—not when the storm is over. And in Him, we can keep that peace, no matter what is going on around us. The angel proclaimed that we would have peace on earth, and we can have it. It is a free gift from God. He brought it to earth with the birth of His Son.
No longer would man have to be separated from God by sin. No longer would there be no hope in the world. The God of all creation chose to reconcile man to Himself by sending His only Son to pay the debt of sin for mankind. No longer would man be an enemy of God. By accepting the gift of salvation, we can have peace, true peace with God.
God also commands us to live at peace with each other as well.
Ephesians 4:3 instructs us that we should be “endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” The word endeavouring means to try, to work at it, to do everything in your power to accomplish it. Sometimes we have to bite our tongue to keep the peace, but it is something we need to do because God told us to. How many times have Christians ruined their testimony because we couldn’t get along with one another? How that must grieve the heart of God.
1 Peter 3:1 says “likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives.”
I think this verse speaks not only about unbelieving husbands but also families. May our speech always be such that we bring people to the Lord.
1 Peter 3:10-11 “for he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.”
We are to seek peace and to do good wherever we are and in whatever situation we find ourselves in. We are to be the peacemakers. We are to bring the light of God to this dark world.
Matthew 5:14-16 tells us “ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
We have a God of second chances. God gave the world a second chance when He sent His Son to earth to be the payment or propitiation for our sins. We have the opportunity to ask for a second chance, a time to have new birth, to begin again. A time to have true peace. When we feel the world’s strife creeping in on us, we need to sing songs of praise to light up the darkness and realize that God is with us in our storms. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. We have only to trust Him and He will give us peace. If you have not put your trust in Him, why not do it today?
" COME UNTO ME THAT ARE WEARY AND HEAVY LADEN AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST " ~ AMEN ~ ( GOOD WORD } XOXO
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