By MAD21
Peace means many things to many people. Wikipedia has a lot of information about where the word came from and what it means stating in its first sentence: "Peace is a quality describing a society or a relationship that is operating harmoniously. This is commonly understood as the absence of hostility..." If you Google it, the first things you'll see are images of a peace sign, and links to the definition; the Peace Corps.; Peace Quotes; and the Nobel Peace Prize to name a few.
The world would have us think that peace is when everything is going our way. But I have to wonder if what they really mean is you can have peace so long as you do as you like and no one or nothing interferes. We all know that couldn't happen for everyone, so does that mean we can't all have peace? I don't believe it. But then, what does peace really mean?
Peace doesn't mean there isn't noise, trouble, or hard work.
It means to be in the midst of those things
and still be calm in your heart. - Marcel Morin
This is one of my favorite quotes regarding what it means to have peace. I think so many people think that to be at peace means that we don't have anything going on in our lives that cause us grief. That couldn't be further from the truth. I've had times in my life when everything was going well, as often as when things were falling apart, and I didn't feel at peace.
Here is what the Bible has to say about it:
Peace is something that God gives you: "The Lord turn his face toward you, and give you peace." Numbers 6:26 "And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side." 2 Chronicles 20:30 and "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
Peace is a clean conscience: "But Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace." Genesis 44:17
Peace means not holding grudges against anyone: "Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him." Numbers 25:12
Peace is a promise not to cause conflict: "Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle." Joshua 11:19
Peace is a time without conflict: "So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died." Judges 3:11 and "That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years." Judges 3:30
Peace means to not be afraid: "But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die." Judges 6:23
In the best or worst of times, I believe to truly be at peace means you have to have faith. Faith in God, the Creator whose wisdom far surpasses our own. You must be willing to believe in something bigger than yourself and what you can only see and experience in your own life. You have to have faith that "...in all things God works for the good of those who love him..." Romans 8:28
Horatio Spafford wrote one of my favorite hymns called, "It is well with my soul." He wrote it on his journey to meet his wife, Anna, in Europe. She had traveled with the intension of meeting him there with four of their children, ages 2, 5, 9 and 11. The ship they were sailing on sank, taking the lives of all four children. Before this trip, Mr. Spafford had also lost his entire fortune, so you can only imagine the despair he must have felt. In spite of the tragedy this family faced, and all that they had lost, they moved forward in their faith and continued to do work in Jerusalem bringing people to Christ. Mr. Spafford wrote the words to this hymn as he sailed over the waters where his children died.
I can think of fewer things that would cause me such deep grief, than to know my children not only died so young, but also suffered in their last moments. And yet, Mr. Spafford was at peace. Real peace. This is similar to the pain I know the families of Haiti have to be going through at this very moment. You might ask, "How can there be peace among such devastation and suffering?" Because of our faith. Because of the peace that only God can give. The indescribable God-given feeling of knowing that even after losing everything, just as Mr. Spafford did, that "it is well with my soul."
There is so much more than what we see in this place. So much more than we can understand. Who knows why bad things happen. What I do know is that God is there. And with him, comes peace.
This post is a participant in a blog carnival over at Bridget Chumbley's One Word at a Time.
Be sure to go and check out what everyone else wrote on: Peace.
Fellow blogger Maureen (Twitter @Doallas) had a great idea to challenge all of us participating in this week's bi-weekly carnival. She is challenging us to make a donation for every comment on our post to an organization that is currently serving in Haiti (Challenge for Haiti). I love the idea, and therefore will make a $2.00 donation to Samaritan's Purse for every comment made to this post before midnight Sunday, January 31st.