Let There Be Peace on Earth
We have a problem Houston; there is not peace on earth. No
kidding, and there never has been ever since God created heaven and earth and
made man in His image and Likeness. Now I realize that this is the Christmas,
the Season of Lights and Advent, all the more reason to talk about this problem
and opportunity.
You see God had to send His Son, Jesus to earth because of
the mess we had made of it. It seems that humankind was just not willing or
able to make peace or be peacemakers. We hadn’t trusted God, since the time of
Satan in the garden. The first human born son killed his brother. Everyone
sinned against God. So God sent a flood, allowing Noah’s family to live for a
fresh start. But soon we unraveled the
peace, trying to build a tower of Babel, and Sodom and Gomorra went wild. Then
there was later the slavery of God’s chosen people for 400 years in Egypt. Praise
God as He appointed Moses to go and set His people free, hallelujah, not so
fast. Almost immediately they complained and grumbled even though God was
showing them miracles like the parting of the Red Sea and bringing water out of
rock. They still wanted to go back into slavery, the familiar thing where they
were being slowly murdered for a pile of bricks in a pyramid. But they would have onions and leeks. God
needed to end this thankless generation. No it does not make sense unless you
recognize that God is holy and also gave us free will. Satan, the “angel of
light,” thrown from heaven for pride and disobedience was and is prowling
around looking for someone to devour. We are a prideful people, wanting control
and our way, not God’s.
You know that the prophet Isaiah 700 years before Christ’s
incarnation called Him the Prince of Peace. Jesus said after His resurrection “Peace
I leave with you, my peace I give to you not as the world gives I give to you.
Let not your hearts be troubled, do not be afraid” (John 14:27). He
knew that the disciples were terrified and hiding from the Romans and Jewish
religious leaders. So He sent His Holy
Spirit to counsel, comfort and convict His flock.
However, in the gospel of Matthew He said something pretty
scary. ‘“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword’” (Matthew 10:34). He was speaking about the
conflict between those who believe and those who do not. He was speaking to
families where one trusts in Jesus as Savior and Lord and another does not. This
creates pain, not peace.
When I became a Christian, my mother, who was supposedly a
baptized Presbyterian, said, “I didn’t bring you up this way,” meaning as a
believer. It was only near her death, while she was ravaged by dementia, that I
was able to lead her to a saving faith and the light finally shined in her
heart. The same obtained for my father, finally giving up his anger and
unforgiveness of Germans from WWII, repenting and receiving the Lord on my last
visit to ever see him alive. This is the
peace on earth that should begin with each of us as the song says but often eludes
all of us.
Unfortunately, I find family feuds very common in my
ministry as a hospital chaplain. Battles go on every day, family members taking
entrenched positions, heartbroken over decisions made. The ministry of
reconciliation is hard to bring when divisive issues might have been going on
for decades. Well my own family feud has also been going on for decades and I
pray that God would intervene and bring an end to it.
So, we are reminded at Christmastide that Perfect Love in
Jesus Christ has come down as the angel proclaimed, “Peace on earth and goodwill to
all men on whom His favor rests.” His desire is that all would come to
know Him and find peace with God and the God of Peace as Philippians 4 so
beautifully promises as we praise Him and pour out our anxieties, pains and
struggles on Him in prayer. He said do not be afraid, be of good cheer and
stand firm in His promises. “You will keep in perfect peace whose mind
is steadfast” (Isaiah 26:3). This is the awesome truth. He is the
reason for the season and the Author of peace as we trust in Him. Merry
Christmas and Happy Chanukah.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts.