The Person of Peace

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!"
Isaiah 26:3

“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”John‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭

A few months ago a local news story surfaced about an active shooter in a nearby town. He fled the scene and went into hiding, but law enforcement later found him hiding in the home of some friends of ours. This made me consider how ironic the occupations are of those we employ to restore peace and order. Generally speaking, I wouldn’t equate peace with a SWAT team breaching the door of a home in search of an assailant, but that’s exactly their goal. Armed and armored, police officers intentionally enter a situation of chaos and disorder in order to restore peace. Many people work and live their lives doing this on a regular basis. From medical emergency personnel to foster parents and from pastors to charity volunteers, each one willingly enters situations of chaos in hopes of restoring order and the process is grueling. Every situation differs as some are afflicted with a physical illness or injury seeking medical treatment and others seek guidance or assistance for their emotional, relational, or financial distress. Regardless of the circumstances, the road to restoration always requires the giving up of privacy and comfort of the afflicted. Each situation not only solicits an outside source for order and peace, but total dependence on whomever possesses the ability to restore it. 

As a mother of five children, I tend to consider peace a high standard to achieve. We may KonMari our houses, sit back and enjoy the peaceful neatness, but it’s never completely perfect and it certainly doesn’t last. Life is full of messes and we’re always making them. Maybe true peace isn’t something to be achieved at all. Mary C. Wiley, a contributing author in the bible study Advent says, “In the beginning there was peace. Peace wasn’t equated with stillness but with nearness to God. God walked with His people in the garden in the cool of the day, and all was just as it was meant to be.” She goes on to explain how peace with God was broken when Adam and Eve sinned and we too experience this same lack of peace as we live in a world separated from God. In essence, peace shouldn’t be considered a goal to work toward, but more over a gift of a restored relationship with our creator. 

"But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us." Ephesians 2:13-14  

From the beginning of time, God placed fallible people and systems in positions to bring order to our chaotic world. Throughout scripture we see God elevating leaders, prophets, and even Jesus’ twelve disciples only to watch their leadership decline. Their lack of faith made them choose a faster road toward destruction rather than God’s steady road toward perfect completion. But God made a way. In His mercy, He willfully took his son out of complete perfection and placed him in this desperate, unraveling world, but do we really understand why?  The gospel really is the ultimate 'good dad' move. We, “the kids,” are all wild, rebellious, in total disarray until finally God says “Do I have to come down there?!” I’m joking a little, but just like a good dad enters the bedroom of noisy, still-awake preschoolers, God entered our broken world of chaos, as well. Oblivious and excited to see our protector and provider, we jump into His arms, but we have no idea why He actually came. We’re glad He’s there and maybe a little fearful too because of our imperfection.  But as a loving father, He kneels down beside us and looks into our eyes and says, 

“I didn’t come to lay down the law. I am truth. Listen to ME!"(John 3:17) 

"I didn’t come to bring you peace, I am peace. Rest in ME!" (Matthew 10:34-39) 

"I didn’t come to make you well, I am perfection. Trust in ME!" (Mark 6:1-6)

"I didn’t come to make you feel whole, I am complete. Fill yourself with ME!" (Colossians 
2:6-10)

I didn't come to give you a good life. I am life everlasting. Put your faith in ME!” (John 6:22-
59; 1 John 5:11-12) 

Jesus didn’t come simply to restore peace to a chaotic world. God sent him to be peace in the chaos so that everyone who touches Him will be restored. 

A few years ago I acquired this tree picture shown above on the left. It was discarded by its owner because of a minor defect. My very skilled husband repaired the frame for me and it’s now beautifully displayed in our home. My favorite feature of this painting is how green 
the trees and shrubs are in the background near the stream of water. It made me think of the verse Jeremiah 17:8 and I hired a dear friend to paint it on my wall adjacent to the picture. THIS is my prayer for my children. When this world turns up the heat, I pray we’ve planted them close to the river and that they’ll dig in deep.  I pray when they realize their own cisterns are cracked and cannot hold water, they’ll abandon them, and run back to the fountain of life. (Jeremiah 2:13) It's my heart's deepest cry that during long months of drought, when all hope seems lost, that they will wake every morning next to God’s stream in the desert. May their souls always be restored and may they remain fruitful all of their days. 

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid." John 14:27 (NLT)

Regardless of the hopelessness of this life, only through a relationship with Jesus Christ does God offer what this world cannot. Emmanuel left his perfect kingdom, and for 33 years dwelt among us in our dying and desperate world. He accomplished his task as the final sacrifice for the sin of mankind and was raised to life again. Peace wasn’t achieved. Peace was born. Peace scraped his knees. Peace walked, talked, breathed, loved, healed, wept, suffered, and died a horrific death. Peace defeated the powers of death and was resurrected as the gift of everlasting life. Because of this, we have hope of an eternal home with our creator King. Until we draw near to him, fully trusting in him, we will never experience the rest he offers. Our faith cannot be in the hope of achieving a life of peace, but rather we should place our faith in Jesus, the person of peace. 

“But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:21-22‬ ‭NLT‬‬