Wonderful Peace

“But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” (Ps 37:11 AV)

Peace is all I ever wanted.  Peace with God.  Peace in mind, heart, and soul.  Peace with the world.  Peace with everything around me.  That is all I ever wanted.  Peace is the absence of conflict.  Deep down, that is what most of us want.  We want to live and exist in calm and contented surroundings.  We just want to get up in the morning and have nothing hit us head on.  We want to sit by a fire or on a seashore with not one care in the world.  We want to live and breathe knowing there is absolutely nothing to worry about.  Peace.  What a wonderful word.  David reminds us that this life may not end in such a peace.  Those who desire peace know there is only once source for it.  “Now the God of peace [be] with you all. Amen.” (Ro 15:33 AV)  The peace of which David speaks is promised to those who are meek.  To those who fall upon their faces in humility and dependence upon God can take by faith that our relationship with Him is full of peace.  Yes, we will not know absolute peace until our graduation to glory, but we do have the promise that gets us through our troubled lives.

My idea of peace is found in a cabin I recently bunked at.  A few years back, we rented a cabin in Pigeon Forge.  For part of the week, we had overcast skies and periodic showers.  Mostly in the morning.  I went out on the back porch with a cup of coffee and my Bible.  We were there at a slow time of the year, so it was pretty quiet.  There was very little human noise other than my family.  But they were inside, playing or visiting.  A spent hours on that porch.  Watching the squirrels and birds was my hobby.  I could sit there for the rest of my life.  Peaceful doesn’t describe it.  Then I came across a YouTube video of somewhat the same experience.  It was a porch of a cabin that overlooked a valley.  The video was hours long of showers and clouds working themselves through the valley, and it eventually ended with the clouds breaking into a nice blue sky.  Much like the many times I spent in our tent-trailer.  As a kid, I would rather spend time in that trailer during a rain event, reading a book or taking a nap.  To me, that is peaceful.  The absence of all that could trouble the heart and mind.  When I think of peace, I think of quiet.

David’s promise is a precious one.  It applies to Israel more directly than the church, but it still applies.  We will not inherit the earth.  Our peace is found in a personal walk with Almighty God.  Our peace is now.  Our peace is not reserved for the Messianic kingdom.  Our peace is from the world, the devil, and the flesh.  Our peace is found not in the physical might of a reigning Sovereign, but in the faith that He has everything in the palm of His hand.  Bringing the mind into the captivity of Christ is what brings that peace that passes all understanding.  This peace, although made complete upon our graduation to glory, can be, and is growing in our soul as we walk with Him.  That peace, like rocking in a chair on a porch of a log cabin during a spring sprinkle, is the peace that can come if we let it.  Peace.  What a wonderful word.  What a beautiful word.  What a word to behold.  What a promise!  What a hope!  What a pursuit!  May peace reign in our hearts!