Peace Is Possible

“Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.” (2Th 3:16 AV)

That little phrase intrigued me.  The first thought is peace is possible at all times.  That is what always means.  There should not be a time when the child of God is not at peace.  Peace is hard to come by.  Too many factors weigh on the mind and heart which challenge that state of peace.  Paul would not have used that word if it wasn’t possible.  The LORD of peace is able to give peace always.  The second is the means to which Paul might be referring.  Prefacing the means by the word ‘all’ implies there is more than one way in which to gain peace.  If there is only one way in which someone might have peace, then the word all would not have been used.  This suggests a very profound truth.  If we are not at peace, then there is a means of which we have not availed ourselves.  If we are discontented, fearful, frustrated, or otherwise not at peace, then there is a means to peace that has gone neglected.  We will not consider all the means which the LORD of peace Himself has provided.  This would take a book.  However, we will contemplate the nature of the peace which the LORD of peace gives and its availability.

This is such an encouraging verse.  In a world that is turned upside down, it is encouraging to know one can always have peace.  Now, it is important to remember peace does not mean the absence of trouble.  Trouble may still exist.  Peace is a state of the heart.  Peace can come regardless of circumstances.  But, peace is always possible.  Peace is the surrender of what makes us human to the care of the divine.  When we place our circumstances or experiences into the hand of God, then peace is possible.  It is when we come out of the hand of God that we react emotionally.  What are these means?  There are many.  How near are they?  They are only a prayer away.  A parent wants their child to live in relative peace and happiness.  We do not like to see their world torn apart.  When a baby wails in his crib, Mom is immediately there to comfort that child, rocking him to sleep.  When that baby is fraught with fever and he cannot understand what is happening, dad holds him tight and tells him everything is ok.  As they mature into their teen years when everything is bigger than life, Mom and Dad want their child to so desperately enjoy these years of adolescence.  They provide means to make the transition into adulthood as easy as it can be.  No parent likes to see their child unnecessarily distraught.  We want comfort and ease for our kids.  This is the heart of God.

Our world is cruel, wicked, unpredictable, and adversarial.  There are troubles around every corner.  Our lives are a tale twice told.  We go through that which has gone through before.  We want the problems to cease, but one simply replaces another.  Isaiah tells us that perfect peace comes when our minds are stayed on Him.  This implies perfect peace is possible.  It is a matter of shutting out all influences that battle against that perfect peace and staying focused on Christ.  I guess what I am trying to say this morning is no matter how much we think our lives are in turmoil and peace is not possible, Paul would disagree.  So, too, would Isaiah.  Further, there is no one single way to gain this peace.  There are means.  There are many means.  This gives the saint whose world is turned inside out hope for peace.  Peace is always available.  Peace is always possible.  Next time the adversary attempts to convince us there is no peace, remember what Paul prayed for the church at Thessalonica.  He prayed the LORD of all peace would always give them peace by all means.