Everyone has seen tragedy. Haiti, 911, the Holocaust... Few of us have faced such depth as tragedy as those listed, however, some form of strife has made it's way into all of our lives. For some it is the death of a loved one. For other, it may be a health related crisis. Others will face divorce or other personal trauma.
Tragedy comes as a part of life -- non-Christians and Christian alike. Details may vary, but the experience does not.
I have asked many times over life whether it's possible to have peace in the world we live in. Some people would say that peace is impossible, an ideal that we can work toward but never obtain. I, on the other hand, think that peace is entirely possible. Through experience though, I think that it can be difficult to acheive, and we usually seek it in the wrong way... Here are 3 suggestions I can make.
1. Understand that God is here
There are tons of 'God' bumper stickers out there, and there's one that I've seen that says "Know God, Know Peace. No God, No Peace". This is totally true. Without acknowledgement that there is a God, we will not have peace. That's why it's called the "peace of God" or "God's peace" in the Bible. At this moment, I can't explain it, but all I know is that "I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart".
There are tons of 'God' bumper stickers out there, and there's one that I've seen that says "Know God, Know Peace. No God, No Peace". This is totally true. Without acknowledgement that there is a God, we will not have peace. That's why it's called the "peace of God" or "God's peace" in the Bible. At this moment, I can't explain it, but all I know is that "I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart".
2. Understand that God is aware
Jesus made a remarkable statement concerning this incredible attribute of the awareness of God in Matthew 10:29... Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. Honestly, God did not create this world and then turn His back on it; His is aware of what is going on, and we are alone in the struggles we are facing. He rejoices when he sees good, love and beauty. It breaks His heart when He sees strife; war and hatred, what we have done to this world.
Jesus made a remarkable statement concerning this incredible attribute of the awareness of God in Matthew 10:29... Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. Honestly, God did not create this world and then turn His back on it; His is aware of what is going on, and we are alone in the struggles we are facing. He rejoices when he sees good, love and beauty. It breaks His heart when He sees strife; war and hatred, what we have done to this world.
3. Understand that God cares
Okay, so there's a God, but that's not enough to bring us peace. He's aware of what is going on., but still... Is that enough to bring peace in my life? A big tipping point for me is to know that God cares.
Not only is he with us, He knows us. He knows who each one of us is, and knows everything about us. He knows the numbers of hairs on each of our heads* and knows our every want and need. If He cares about the hairs on our heads to that degree of detail, I feel confident that He knows everything about us in all ways. David got it write when he wrote "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me"
If we are going to have peace in our lives it will only be when we genuinely realize that God not only knows whats best for us, but that He wants what is best for us. And then we have to take that belief and act upon it. We must step out in faith knowing that God is rooting for us and that He knows what He's doing.
Too often we second-guess God. It's almost like we say "Okay God. I love you, and I know you are in fact God. I know you are The Creator and the Ruler of the entire freakin' universe, but, I think in this case, I actually know the better thing to do." And so we do what we think is best and then when it all falls to pieces, we wonder what went wrong. It's funny that sometimes we look back and say, "Darn, if only I had done what God had wanted me to do..." God cares, and He sees a much bigger picture than we do (kinda like someone else I know--shout out!).
The life of a Christian isn't all quiet and contemplative. We face turmoil and trouble just like anyone else. But the wonder of it all is that, in the midst of all the troubled life that is crashing loudly around us, we can have peace! With the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we can experience peace on a level that defies humans understanding (check out Philippians 4:7).
It means we can experience God's peace in our church. It means we can experience God's peace in our homes, even between parents and siblings. It means we can experience God's peace out in the world. Really, it means that we can experience God's piece in our hearts. It doesn't mean that any of these places are going to be perfect, but it means that in spite of that, we can have peace. Because true peace doesn't come from us, or anything the world can offer us - it comes from God.
*(side note: I've always wanted to ask...)
*(side note: I've always wanted to ask...)
