Peace

What do you think of when you hear the word "peace"? Is it a word you only think about when you hear it on the news, describing some far away countries? In those cases it normally seems to be in the context of a lack of peace or unstable peace.  In America we enjoy a pretty fair reality of peace, war being a removed idea for most of us, the exception being those who serve in the armed forces. This, as I see it, is a problem.

Why is peace a problem? Well as sinful people we a predisposed to strive, war and fight.
Isaiah 59:7-8 "Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace."

The whole chapter of Isaiah 59 gives examples of how people fight and strive apart from God and the futility of it. So what is it you "war" with? What are the "battles" you face? Do you fight and claw your way up the ladder to get a better job? Do you wrestle everyday with who you are supposed to marry or finding contentment in being single? Is it family, friends, or co-workers that you bicker with? And most importantly do you fight with God in your heart?

This may seem like an odd question, one that needs some clarification. First off you must be a Christian to even begin to find peace in God.  The Bible is full of verses about the enmity between God and unbelievers and not why I wanted to write this piece so I will skip over that for now, but if you have any questions I would love to discuss them. But as a Christian do you find peace in God? You have peace with God through Christs' finished work on the cross, but do you find an all consuming comforting peace in Him?
Philippians 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
I always read this verse wrong, thinking it said the peace of God passes all understanding, as if the peace of God gave us understanding, and while that might be partially true, what it really says is much more profound. The peace we have in God surpasses understanding, as in it goes beyond our comprehension, or at least should. When we are worried about jobs or relationships or money or any other myriad of things, as Christians we should have a peace that not only unbelievers can't understand but even we should be baffled by how complete His peace is. I admit that too many times I am quick to try to find my own answer or solution to a problem, or just simply allow the problem to tumble in my mind instead of turning to God for comfort. Does this mean we won't have problems? Absolutely not. God has promised us suffering and strife. This life was not meant to be easy. But He has promised to give us peace as long as we turn to Him. The struggles and hardships we face are meant to teach us reliance on Him.

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
As I studied peace this verse stuck out to me the most. It is spoken by Jesus Christ shortly before He would be crucified for my sins.  How can I have peace in a man who promises me tribulation and would suffer a brutal death? Because of that last statement "I have overcome the world." Sure, He died, but validated His claim by rising 3 days later. There is nothing here on earth that I can go through that He can't sympathize with or the He didn't face Himself. Not only did He face it, but He overcame it all. And that thought, coupled with the fact that He now sits with God the Father, making intercession for me brings me peace indescribable.

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Hope

Hope: now there is a broad subject. At its base it is a pretty generic term, used commonly without much thought or deep meaning. We hope to get to work on time, hope for a promotion, hope our team wins the game, just generally hope something good happens in any given situation.  But the definition according to Webster is deeper and more specific than that. "To cherish a desire with anticipation" certainly sounds more poetic and involved than a catchy presidential campaign motto(sorry, had to throw that shot in there). Not just to want something to happen or even desire or anticipate an event. The key word in that definition is Cherish.  "To entertain or harbor in the mind deeply and resolutely" is the description I like best of cherish. When you hope to get to work on time it is simply a passing thought, a desire to maybe appease your boss or simply avoid their wrath. It may be a thought of getting in and out of work quickly so you can do something you truly cherish.  But this is not real hope. You are not eagerly anticipating getting to work and odds are you don't cherish work to the extent of anticipation and desire to be there.
So what defines hope? I think that varies from person to person, based upon where you are at, your individual struggles, beliefs and desires in life. For me I hope a lot of things: I hope that God continues to work in me, to refine me and purify me. I hope He continues to work His redeeming grace through me and use me to show His love to others.  I hope that God leads me and my future wife's heart together and to love her as Christ loves me. I hope to love my family more. I hope in the salvation He has freely given to me to secure a place in His presence for all eternity. These are all things I cherish deeply and eagerly anticipate with all the giddiness of a child on Christmas morning.  How about you? What do you hope for? I would love to hear what you cherish and desire.  
I do genuinely hope this has blessed you in some way and maybe challenged you to take stock of where and in whom we place our hope. Too many times I place my hope in things that disappoint and fail to satisfy. When we "hope" in something lets ask if it is something we truly cherish or whether we should cherish it.  There is one person, Jesus Christ, who we can hope in and put all our other hopes into and will never be disappointed. He should be our ultimate hope, the ultimate desire that we cherish with anticipation.


Ps 39:7 "And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you."(ESV)


^{Hebrews 6: 13-20 "13}For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by Himself, ¹⁴saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." ¹⁵And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. ¹⁶For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. ¹⁷So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. ¹⁹We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, ²⁰where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." (ESV)