Peace Has A Name

 My peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. Not as the world gives. (John 14:27)

There is a part of us, a part that I suspect lies deep within the fiber of our humanity, that craves certainty and seeks solace in routine.   In most cases certainty is an illusion and routines are easily disrupted.  Both certainty and routine are ways that we attempt to manage anxiety.  They hint at predictability, manageability and the ever-elusive desire for control.  Systems are formed, governments legislate and economic safeguards are developed. Educational programs take shape and a medical industry is fashioned.  And this is good!  But Jesus said in the verses above that there is a particular kind of a peace the systems of the world give and then there is His peace.

Today, we and the entire world find our systems strained and in some places collapsing. Dire predictions are our daily bread. For some this season is but a mild disruption of routine, for others it is life and death. A large number of us, myself included have been marked “at risk”. And to make it worse there is no clear and decisive end in sight.  Anxiety and fear seem to hang thick in the air. So, in such peace-desolate circumstances what are we to do?

I am using this season as a time to seek spiritual clarity from the sovereign One and frankly my prayers are returning me to what the scriptures call “the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).  Please let me share with you scriptures that are life-giving to me at the moment:

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.  For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. (Colossians 2:8-10)

It may seem simple (most meaningful truths actually are simple) but the peace that we are seeking, which the above verse calls “fullness” is not limited by or derived from our current circumstances.  “Fullness” or what I might ungrammatically call “enough-ness” is in Him.  In Him is enough for the entire spectrum of life with all its knowns, unknowns and its varied ups and downs. And in some mysterious way, for those of us who through grace have embraced Him embracing us, we are in Him and He is in us (John 17).  With Him we share a oneness that is life-altering and life-filling.

I am once again discovering that “peace” is not a state of mind or emotion.  Peace is not all the pieces of my puzzle fitting together for one brief moment.  Peace is not found in the systems of this world as helpful as they might be.

Peace has a name.  Peace comes as a Teacher, a Shepherd, a Friend, a Savior, a Comforter and a Bridegroom.  Peace has a name and that name is Jesus.

..The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

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