What is Peace ?
What is peace and what does it look like?
I think we all know what it is to not have peace.
There are so many things in this world that tend to rob us of peace, but is that the way God intended - for us to live in unrest and a lack of peace?
A resounding “no”.
If one suffers from insomnia, a good night’s sleep would be in order.
If my life is busy and jammed packed with activities and tasks and responsibilities, sunrise to sundown, peace might come in the form of a restful activity or even just a moment or two to myself with no agenda more than take a few deep breaths and do nothing.
If your world is constantly filled with noise and loudness, a break from all the noise, even a time of solitude and silence would be a welcomed change.
Peace can come in many forms. The world we live in today has not only acknowledged the need for peace but responded with numerous methods for people to regain and experience a sense of peace. Retreat centres have been established, mindfulness exercises have been introduced, seminars developed, podcasts produced, all with the aim to provide people with the means to restore some sense of peace back into our lives. All of them may provide some peace to the weary, but the effects are always only temporary, and I believe incomplete.
There is one source of peace that has been offered to us all for centuries. Nothing new, but still just as profound and powerful as ever. The world we live in has changed, no doubt. We have brought forward far too many problems of our past, and unfortunately introduced an abundance of new life complications. Throughout time, with relentless changes and ruthless challenges, there is one constant: namely God. His presence and His promises do not fade away. I understand that for many his voice and promise of peace has gone unheard and unrecognised, but it has never been silent. When Jesus was alive on this earth, one of the promises he made is found in the Gospel of John.
John 14:27 NIV "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid".
In this verse Jesus acknowledges the troubled heart and the sense of loss that life brings, and he provides an answer. Jesus offered his disciples, and to us, a peace that the world cannot comprehend nor experience outside of a relationship with God, a transcending peace that comes from experiencing the Holy presence of God. It is in a word. supernatural. This supernatural gift is, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7).
The Webster Dictionary presents peace as a “freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions”.
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
But Webster was describing the peace this world offers. God brings more to the table. The peace that God promises is so much more than simply the absence of unwanted thought or emotions. The peace of God is a peace of abundant wholeness, total wellness, and complete serenity with self, with others, and with God. It is a lasting peace. It rises above our circumstances and shouts love, acceptance and hope for the future. God doesn’t just offer us the experience of peace. God is the full expression of peace. To know God is to know peace.
To be in the presence of God is to be in the state of peace or “Shalom”, šālôm) (Hebrew, Old Testament) and “eirēnē” (Greek, New Testament).
Describing God, the Prophet Issiah wrote, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
The “peace” we read here is the word “shalom” (salom). Shalom is defined as:
[šālôm] n. Peace
completeness, soundness, welfare, peace
completeness (in number)
safety, soundness (in body)
welfare, health, prosperity
peace, quiet, tranquillity, contentment
peace, friendship
of human relationships
with God especially in covenant relationship peace (from war) peace (as adjective)
I believe the prophet was conveying to us that as we learn to put our trust in God, and continue to lean into Him, interpreting ourselves and the world around us through the eyes of God, we gain this inexplainable, otherwise unattainable, extraordinary peace of God.
I would like to share with you another powerful message of peace found in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome:
Romans 5:1,2:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
I would like to point out that the English word in this passage, “peace” is again the Greek word “Eirene”.
Both the Hebrew word “shalom” and the Greek word” Eirene” provides not only a vision of a prosperous life but also the means by which a person can achieve true flourishing.
Theologian Jonathan Pennington writes:
“The Bible certainly speaks to the issue of human flourishing in very significant ways. But this is not unique among other ancient or current philosophies, religions, or worldviews. What is unique and what is revelational and authoritative for the Christian is that Holy Scripture understands human flourishing to be a function of God’s redemptive work in the world, the very core of his relation toward his creatures.”
God’s word paints a beautiful picture of biblical flourishing represented by the words shalom and eirene. It also reveals to us God’s plan and goal for all people through Christ - the restoration of what was lost in the fall of the first man and woman—shalom.
(https://tifwe.org/)
A flourishing life, complete and everlasting peace.
Sounds good to me.
I want this peace. I choose this peace.
I pray that everyone who reads this may know this peace as I do.
