Matthew 6:34, Judges 6:24, Philippians 4:6-7, Jeremiah 29:11

Matt Summerfield

Life is chaotic! You only need to spend a few moments on the London underground in the rush hour to understand what chaos and rush is all about. It's certainly not a picture of peace. And yet we all long for peace. We want to live peaceful lives without trouble. We long for our world to experience peace in the midst of struggle and war. If I were to take a survey and ask you to describe life in one word I'm pretty sure you'd use words like - busy, hectic, stressful, worrying, scary, exciting - but not peaceful. I'm pretty sure that 'peaceful' wouldn't be in the list.

I once read the following story which gave me a helpful perspective on what real peace is all about.

There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them.

One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for the peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. Birds flying over head. Not a ripple on the lake. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell, and in which lightening played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest ........... perfect peace.

Which picture do you think won the prize?

The King chose the second picture. Do you know why?

"Because," explained the King, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."

Jesus was pretty clear that in life we will experience good and bad stuff (see Matthew 6:34) and yet He promises that in Him we can have peace.

When Gideon names the altar in Judges 6:24 he names it Jehovah Shalom (Yahweh Shalom) - The Lord is Peace. Although shalom can mean the absence of strife it usually signifies much more. It essentially denotes a satisfied condition, a state of peacefulness, a sense of wholeness and well being.

When the whole world seems to be going crazy, God is still able to bring us peace. Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:6-7 if we just ask and give thanks we will experience the amazing, unimaginable peace that only Christ gives.

So remember today, real peace is not the absence of strife. Real peace is the presence of God in the midst of any strife, assuring you that you have a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).