THE PEACE OF GOD

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 37, 6 November 1937, Page 16

THE PEACE OF GOD

(Isa. 26:8, and John 14:27). The, Gospel of Jesus Christ is full of paradoxes — some would call them contradictions. He uttered the words, "My peace "give 1 unto you," and also the words, "1 came not to send peace but a sword." The Prophet lsaiah gave utterance to the words above cited in a time of great unrest in Israel; he declared tliat God had a peace to give His people even in a tune of war and rumours of war. Whdt is the signiiicance of the words of Jesus and of the Prophet? For there is a sense in which peace is impossible in this life and yet anotker sense in wliich it may be glorious experience. We are all faniiliar with the struggle for existence which seems to deny us the peace we so much desire. lf we \ would iive we must struggle lor the means of life — and with inany who are in poverty this is indeed a dire struggle. Econoxnists tell us that in these days warfare between nations is but this struggle writ large in the nation's liie. Some day we shall learn that this world is capable of producing enough for all God's great family, but meanwliile the struggle for existence destroys the peace between nations and causes unrest and strain in muny individual livcs. - Then, in the realm of the intellect peace' is impossible. The mind of man must ever be in a state of movement and unrest. Man is born with .inteliectual capacity, but attamment involves Struggles, Many avoid the struggle and take the easy road — but it leads to mteiiectual ■ death. Further still, peace is impossible in the nioral world. God has mado man capable" of nioral discernment — Jiut if he would ' grow in moral statnre he must 'for ever struggle against the haser appeals of life. Sure I " must fight if I would reign ; Increase my courage, Lord. And jn the realm, of morals, victory does not bring with it -a cessation of warfare; s.ueeess means but the/nciving of the field - of battle. We are like children in. school, the learning of one lesson fit§ us for harder tasks. Whilst 'we live in this wQrld we shall never find rest from the necessity of moral warfare. Whai; then.- did Jesus mean when tLe said ''My peace give I unto you"? Perliaps an illustration will best provide the -answer. You have .stood by the seaside and.noticed the restlessness of the waves. Perhaps you have been there when the waves rolled high by reason of th§ storm. This restlessness of the sea is essential — without it there would be stagnation and death. But the Testlessness is only on the surface. Down in the depths all is cairn. And may it not be that some disturbance is necessary for our moral and spiritual health? Even our Lord does not appear to have been free from such disturbance. But deep down in His soul all was cairn and peaceful for His conhdence was in His Heavenly Father. Here then is the secret of the peace of Uod% The storm may roar without me, My iieart may low be laidj But G'od as grounci about ihe, And can 1 be dismayed? / The peace of God is an experience in the soul. of the believer which enabies him .to meet all life's prohlems with the assurance that God is able to make all things work together for good. So often our faith in God is shallow and superficial. We have a fair weather religion. Every sorrow and distress, every problem and difficulty causes us to doubt God. The jniquities of . nations . and tlie ever present danger of warfare creates the spirit of fear. The great heroes of faith and the martyrs of our holy religion found their courage in their confidence in God. "They endured as seeing Him who is mvisible." ■ (Heb. 11:27). We see .then that true peace of mind" is not the. result of a carefree life but is .the product of a heart that is founded on the love and wisdom of God. Given that " confidence we may "greet the unseen" with a cheer." The Apostolic benedietion. becomes to us a spiritual reality. ■ "And the peace of God which passeth all. understanding, shall guard yours hearts and ' minds through Christ JesuB." (Phiiippians 4:7).