What is peace? The dictionary defines peace as the following.
- A state of tranquility or quiet: such as,
- a) Freedom from civil disturbance.
- b) A state of security or order within a community provided for by
law or custom.
- Freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
- Harmony in personal relations.
- A state or period of mutual accord between governments.
- a) A pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have
been at war or in a state of enmity.
- Used to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell.
Derived from these 5 different definitions are some quotes about peace from some famous people.
- “The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence.” —Norman Vincent Peale
- “Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” —Dalai Lama
- “Peace is liberty in tranquility.” —Marcus Tullius Cicero
- “Peace begins with a smile.” —Mother Teresa
- “It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.” —John F. Kennedy
- “When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” —Jimi Hendrix
- “Peace is not absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” —Ronald Reagan
Do you, as a believer, in Christ have peace? What gives you peace? Do you have peace of mind? Do you have peace of heart? As a believer, do you know what the Bible teaches us about peace?
Hayford’s Bible handbook defines peace as found in the Bible this way, “PEACE—a word with several different meanings in the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament meaning of peace or shalom (shah-loam); Completeness, wholeness, peace, health, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony; the absence of agitation or discord.
In the New Testament, peace often refers to the inner tranquility and poise of the Christian whose trust is in God through Christ. It is a state of rest, quietness, and calmness; an absence of strife; tranquility. It generally denotes a perfect well-being. (It also) includes harmonious relationships between God and humanity, individuals and individuals, nations, and families.”
Very briefly studying a few verses in the Old Testament that talk about peace, we can easily see how they apply to a believer in Christ.
Psalm 4:8, I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
The first point we learn about peace in this verse is that when you have the peace of God you sleep well because you know who is with you. It is important to note that this verse is not referring to our situation but it is knowing who is with us. A sad fact is that some Christians cannot get a good night sleep because they lack God’s peace for many possible reasons. One common reason is a troubled mind and or heart and the only way they can get some sleep is with a sleeping pill.
This verse is not talking about the situation we might be confronting as the basis of our peace, this verse is a good example of the peace of mind we have from knowing that the reason of having God’s peace is being in His presence, which is to “dwell in safety”, and the result will be, “I will lie down and sleep in peace…”
Psalm 29:11, The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.
Do we consider the peace of God as a blessing that He gives us? God’s peace is something that He gives us. Being in God’s peace can also be a place of strength, emotionally and physically. If we know that we belong to God and that He gives us many good things, we need to learn to ask and trust Him to give us His peace.
Psalm 34:14, Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
This verse gives us four conditions related to obtaining God’s peace.
- “Turn from evil”
What might be some of the (evil) things that we allow in our life that we need to turn from? They can be what we see, such as movies or the music we listen to. Importantly we need to apply to our lives what God tells us in His Word about evil. Isaiah 5:20, Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Allowing these things in our lives is one of the many possible reasons why it is hard for us to experience God’s peace in our lives. This is a spiritual fact, when evil things are left in our lives it leaves us open to those things that would rob us of God’s peace. The lack of God’s peace in our lives is not only the evil we might do, but it can also be the evil of others that we support and approve of.
- “do good”
What is the good that we are to be doing? The New Testament has many verses that mention to the Christian how good should be part of a Christian’s character and lives.
1 Timothy 6:18, Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
Hebrews 10:24, And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
3 John 11, Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God.
- “seek peace”
Many times, God’s peace must be sought after in prayer, in His word, and or with Godly counsel. Many times we need to be deliberate or intentionally seeking out the peace of God. When we need to seek something out it means it is not easy to see or recognize. Especially in the world we live in today, it is easy to be overwhelmed with evil actions and influences by what we see and experience which distorts our view from seeing the importance of God’s peace in our lives.
- “and pursue it”
Once we find peace, are we being persistent and even aggressive to experience God’s peace in our lives? Or are we expecting God’s peace just happen. When we are pursuing God’s peace it means we recognize its importance and value in our lives.
Psalm 85:8, I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints– but let them not return to folly.
When we are paying attention to God’s word, we are in an attitude to listen to what He tells us. This is what the writer of this verse is telling us when he said, “I will listen” which is to hear intelligently followed with obedience. This verse also states something very important that should not be taken lightly. This verse contains a conditional promise of God for having His peace. God always delivers on His promises. Numbers 23:19, God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
Who are “his people, his saints”? A believer in Christ who is holy, who’s pursuit in life is to glorify God, and their lifestyle and morals exemplifies holiness. As previously stated, the peace that God promised is conditional. The condition is, “but let them not return to folly.” Or as stated in the New Living Translation, “But let them not return to their foolish ways.” What does “folly” mean? In Hebrew, it is a person’s lifestyle that is patterned after the world. “Folly” also can be the things in our life that we allow and practice, those little compromises that is contrary to a godly lifestyle. The peace of God in our lives has to do with the lifestyle we are pursuing and living.
Psalm 119:165, Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
This verse clearly tells us what kind of peace we can have from God, “Great peace”, we can have ample or abundant peace. However, having this “Great peace” is contingent for those “who love your law”. When we love God’s word, we look forward to reading and hearing God’s word, we enjoy it every time we read it and or hear it, we can’t wait for the next time we read it, it is always on our mind. When we love God’s word, we will know who God is and know what His word says. It is on the basis of this we will have “Great” or abundant peace. Peace for whatever and whenever we need it. It is God’s “Great peace” that keeps us from stumbling emotionally and mentally of those things of this world that the enemy of our soul would use to try to cause us to stumble to lose our peace.
Isaiah 26:3, You (God) will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
This verse tells there are two points to have God’s perfect peace. The first one is “whose mind is steadfast”. Why? Because of our trust in who God is. Is our mind steadfast or unwavering knowing who God is? This means that I am not standing on my reasoning. Am I surrendering my beliefs and paying attention to what others are saying? The second point is the reason of being steadfast is “because he (we trust) trusts in you” God. In whom or where is our confidence? We cannot have confidence in someone we do not know. Our confidence is that we know that God is bigger than the situation we are confronting, and He will do as He promised and the result will be we will be kept in His “perfect peace”.
Next week in part two we will continue our brief study in the New Testament about how God’s applies to a believer in Christ.
Pastor John
