I can’t overemphasize the importance of peace as a real and practical
benefit of our covenant relationship with God. His peace should not be an
infrequent surprise but an ongoing rule of our lives. The apostle Paul
underscored the essential nature of peace in 2 Thessalonians 3:16. Did you notice how crucial he considered
peace to be? “At all times.” “In every way,” Peace can be possible in any
situation.
Isaiah used the word peace twenty-six times. God continually
promised peace when His captives returned wholeheartedly to the Lord. The
familiar messianic passage, Isaiah 9:6, identifies peace with Christ as the
“Prince of Peace,” The next verse connects the Prince of Peace to His reign: Of
the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign
on David’s throne. Many of us have memorized the words of Isaiah 26:3: You will
keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trust in you.
Did you see any hints of a common denominator trying these scripture
together? Isaiah 9:7 perfectly portrays the key to peace authority. When we
allow the Prince of Peace to govern our lives, peace either immediately or
ultimately results. Peace accompanies authority.
Peace comes in situations that are completely surrendered to
the sovereign authority of Christ. Sometimes when we finally give up trying to
discover all the answers to the whys in our lives and decide to trust a
sovereign God, unexpected peace washes over us like a summer rain. We sometimes
lack peace in far less strenuous circumstance because we are not as desperate
or as likely to turn them over to God.
I finally had to turn some of the hurt of my childhood over
to God’s sovereign authority because I realized they would consume me like a
cancer. When at last I allowed Him to govern everything concerning my past, not
only did the Prince give me His peace, He actually brought good from something
horrible and unfair. If you have not yet bowed the knee to God’s authority over
areas of your circumstances; but you must believe, bend the knee, and learn to
receive.
We must remember that bending the knee is ultimately a
matter of pure obedience. You may never feel like giving your circumstance,
hurt, or loss to Hi; but you can choose to submit to His authority out of
belief and obedience rather than emotion. Obedience is always the mark of
authentic surrender to God’s authority.
Isaiah 48:17 beautifully reveals the relationship between
obedience, authority, and peace. God has a right to all authority because of
who He is. Allow me to share my outlook on His right to complete authority. He
is God , the creator of the heavens and the earth, the supreme Author of all
existence. He reign over all, and in Him all things exist. He is the Lord, the
Master and Owner of all living creatures. He is the covenant Maker and Keeper.
He is holy. As Lord, He will never ask anything of us that is not right, good,
and open to the light. He is perfect and undefiled. Lastly, He is Redeemer, the
one who brought us from sin’s slave master so we could experience abundant
life. He bought us to set us free. What, then, shall we say in response to
this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).
Take pleasure in knowing that God inspired His Word with
great care and immaculate precision. He chose every word purposely. When He
said we could have peace like a river, He wasn’t drawing a loose analogy. He
meant it. What does it take to have peace? Attention to God’s commands (by
obedience) through the power of the Holy Spirit. Obedience to God’s authority not
only brings peace like a river but righteousness like the waves of the sea. Not
righteous perfection. Righteous consistency.
You see, God’s way is the safe way. The right way. And the
only peaceful way in a chaotic world. I hope you’ve discovered that peace is
not beyond your reach. It’s not a goal to meet one day. You can begin a life of
authentic peace today. Right now. The path to peace is paved with knee prints.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… (Colossians 3:15).
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