We sang in a song today that our God is the ‘Prince of Peace’ which is given as another name for Jesus. We as children of God should always have peace in our hearts. Let us read from 2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all”. In one of the translations we read that the Lord of peace Himself gives you his peace at all times and in every situations. When we are called together as one body in Christ, this is God’s will for us that the peace of Christ should rule in our hearts (Colossians 3:15).
In Ephesians 2: 12 to 17 we read how Jesus has established peace. Our God wants us to have this peace in all situations. Around us we see people who don’t have peace in their hearts. In the world, people may say that if we have everything; health and wealth, we will have peace. But the Lord teaches us that we can be at peace in spite of our situations. This is a great privilege of being children of the Almighty God. In John 16:33 we read that Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” In John 16 Jesus speaks many things to His disciples and He speaks them so that they may have peace. Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus stresses here that we can find real peace only in Jesus and not in anything that is in this world. In John 14:27 we read “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” The world may give some form of peace but the real peace is that which the Lord gives. This peace doesn’t depend on any external thing. The peace which God gives us is independent of any circumstances.
We should have this real peace primarily in our hearts and also in our homes. We should live in peace at all times in our family lives. If there is no peace in a family, God doesn’t dwell in that home. The Bible tell us in Luke 10:5,6 “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.” This is the instance where Jesus sends His disciples in pairs. God dwells in a house of peace – where there is no quarrel or disputes. If we don’t have this peace in our hearts or in our homes, the Bible encourages us that we should make every effort to live in that peace. Whatever can be done by us should be done. Don’t give any place to Satan. Another name for Satan is that he is a thief. His intention is to rob us of the peace in our hearts. We shouldn’t be ignorant of his schemes. In John 10:10 we read that Satan’s intention is to steal, kill and destroy. By actively fighting against these schemes we can have peace in our homes and thereby experience the Kingdom of God. We read that the Kingdom of God is not eating or drinking but peace! In Romans 16:20 we read that the position of Satan is now under our feet. This is a great encouragement for us. No weapon formed against us will prosper! This is a promise for us. We shouldn’t give any place to Satan to rob us of peace.
In Hebrews 12:14 we read that we need to pursue peace with all men. We should make every effort to live in peace. In Ephesians 4:2,3 we see that we should be diligent to preserve the unity of spirit in the bond of peace. When we think of a brother or sister and if our heart is not in peace; it is an indication that something is clearly wrong in our Christian life. We have to come back to God, settle the matter and restore peace. In Mark 4:37-40 we read of the time that Jesus stills the storm. In the midst of the worse situation, Jesus was asleep – He was at peace. Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid?”. We shouldn’t be afraid or anxious of anything surrounding us but be at peace in the Lord. We have a Good Father. He is in control of every situation and all things in our life works together for good (Rom 8:28). If our life abides in Jesus and in His words, there will be peace in our hearts.
The apostle Paul went through many difficult situations but he always had that peace in His heart. He had experienced and tasted the peace of God. That is why he desires for the Christians to also have this peace. In Philippians 4:7 we are promised the peace of God that surpasses all human understanding.
May God bless us all!
