"Peace Beyond All Measure"

Peace Beyond All Measure

Psalm 29:11 (NASB)
The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

All you have to do is turn on your T.V. any night of the week and you will see that we are living in a world full of turmoil. Most of what is in the news is bad news. Our lives are characterized by a lack of peace and a presence of turmoil.
Wars, the struggle, the strife and confrontation going on in our world is simply an outward manifestation of the inner turmoil going on within the souls of men and women. From the lack of peace within nations to the lack of peace between two people, it all reflects a lack of peace from within people.

#1 – The Perversion of Peace

Peace movements are nothing new. There have always been those who cry “peace!” Many do so today. There are demonstrations and protests for peace. And it seems to me that any person who has a respect for life should want peace. Yet we do not have peace. Why?

Perhaps the answer lies in the nature of the peace we are pursuing. It is apparent that there are many in this world frantically involved in a quest for peace, but is the peace that is being sought really true peace?
Jesus gives us an interesting insight into true peace in where He says,

John 14:27 (NASB)

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Jesus clearly distinguishes the kind of peace He is giving with the kind of peace that the world offers. Could it be that He is saying that the peace that some people pass off for true peace is not really peace at all?

In Ezekiel 13:10, the prophet of God says that some “have misled my people by saying, ‘peace!’ when there is no peace.” When we speak of peace, we need to have a clear understanding of what true peace really is. If we do not understand the true definition of peace, we may be misled into believing there is peace when there is none.

One of the definitions the world uses for peace is that peace is the absence of outward conflict. But as Christians we must be concerned with more than simply the lack of outward conflict. It runs deeper than that!

When the outward conflict dies down then the inner conflict begins to come to the surface. The real need for humankind is more than an absence of physical conflict in the world around us, it is for true inner peace, a peace with God.

#2 – The Provision of Peace

We need a provision of peace. And we have one! The provision of peace is God, who is the source of true peace. True peace can only come from God.

Isaiah 26:3 (NASB)

The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.

The real key to peace is trusting in God because He is the source of peace. As we trust in Him, we experience what you might call “peace from God.” Our trust places us in the position where the basis for peace is shifted from ourselves and our circumstances to the faithfulness of the God of the universe.

Psalm 4:8 was written by a man who knew what it was to experience conflict. For most of David’s life he experienced conflict and hostility towards himself. He was pursued and hounded by King Saul and his enemies were numerous. Yet he writes in Psalm 4:8

Psalm 4:8 (NASB)

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, Lord, have me dwell in safety.

David understood that it is the Lord who gives strength. He recognized his inability and God’s all-sufficiency. David knew something that the people all around him did not know. He knew that God could and would take care of him. I’m not sure when and where he learned this. Perhaps he learned it when he fought the bear. Maybe he learned it when he fought the lion while out in the field tending his father’s sheep. Maybe he learned it when he had hand to hand conflict with the giant Goliath. Maybe he learned it as he was pursued all over the country by Saul. Nonetheless, he had learned that the Lord was his peace. David had experienced the peace which comes from God.

This peace is also described as peace with God through Christ.

Romans 5:1 (NASB)

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

The source of peace is God Himself. The result of that peace is that the war is now over with God. Before we began to trust in God, our inner conflict caused us to be in conflict with God Himself. There was an alienation between us and God, a separation between us and God. When we truly surrender to Christ, the hostilities cease. Now we have peace with God through Christ. Only then, can we have peace with others.

But there is more. We not only have peace from God and peace with God, but there is also the peace of God.

Philippians 4:7 (NASB)

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
It is peace from God, peace with God, and the peace of God.

There is something special about the peace of God. According to this passage, it is a peace we cannot comprehend with our human minds. You simply do not understand why you have peace when all hell is breaking loose around you. It is a peace which surprises you because it is there and yet you know that you wouldn’t expect it to be. Then you remember who you belong to, and you understand why you do have that peace. It is this kind of peace, a peace which surpasses understanding, it is a peace that we must allow to rule our hearts.

With the peace of God ruling our hearts, we can then face whatever problems may come. And problems will come! Jesus told us in John 16:33

John 16:33 (NASB)

These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

#3 – The Process of Peace

If peace is truly a possibility for us, then what is the process of peace? From what we have already seen in Scripture we can discern the process of peace. Peace is the result of a close relationship with Jesus, it is a by-product of our relationship with Christ.

It is an outflowing from that relationship. In Galatians 5:22-23, peace is listed as a fruit of the Spirit. In other words, it is a fruit of our relationship with Christ by the Spirit of God, and it comes to us through several important ways.
The first and most important way it comes is by trusting God. We have already seen in Isaiah 26:3 that “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.”

One of the results of keeping your mind steadfastly focused on Christ and developing a living relationship with Him is that you come by experience to trust Him. The basis for our peace is not merely that we are thinking about the Lord, it is that we are trusting in the Lord. The reason we keep our mind steadfastly focused on Him is because we know that He has all things under control. We know that if we keep our focus on Him, He will settle us down and give us peace.

Implied in our trusting Him is an aspect of communion with God. If we are in communion with Him, we are praying to Him, listening to Him, seeking to discern His will. Out of this kind of communion will come His peace.

Both prayer and praise are aspects of this communion with God. Both are linked directly to God’s peace. Look at Philippians 4:4-7.

Philippians 4:4-7 (NASB)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Do you see the link here? The link is between the peace of God, which guards our hearts and minds, and the prayer and thanksgiving which precedes it. The bottom line is this: if we are really going to have peace, we must have a relationship with Him, and prayer and praise tap us into that relationship. When we are actively engaged in prayer and praise, we will be a recipient of God’s blessings.

What a blessing it would be to be free from all anxiety. And this is precisely the blessing God promises in these verses. Anxiety is simply another word for fear. Peace frees us from anxiety and fear when it is a peace from God. When we are living in a trusting relationship with God, knowing that He can and will take care of our needs, then we can experience a freedom from anxiety even while we are in the midst of adversity. This is true peace.

Remember, Jesus said, “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, nor let it be fearful.”

What some in the world claim is peace, is not true peace. It is merely the absence of outward conflict. But what this view of peace fails to recognize is that until the inner conflict is dealt with there will be no real peace.

Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered.
The tensions grew. Only two pictures remained veiled.

As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd.

A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed. Surely this was the winner.

The man with the vision uncovered the second painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Could this be peace?
A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power.

A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil.