I
prayed Wednesday night with someone facing possible cancer and called upon the
God of Peace.
I posted about a PTSD friend who has attempted suicide and prayed
to the God of Peace.
On Tuesday, I expressed a disappointment I am experiencing and
was reminded that to focus on God and not our disappointments. Essentially, he
said to look at God’s peace, not my performance nor the lack thereof.
The Advent of Christ’s coming again should
remind us always that everything we see is temporary.
God of
Peace. There is a recurring theme when
the Bible uses the phrase “God of Peace”. That theme is seeking excellence in
our lives, but not for performance in order to earn peace. Rather excellence in
our lives is a product as a result of the residence of the God of Peace in our
lives.
We first see the phrase “God of Peace” in
Thessalonians (one of the first letters written). Paul said that the God of
Peace sets us apart (that’s what sanctifies means) and our bodies, our souls
and our spirits will be preserved blameless at the coming (advent) of Christ (1
Thess. 5:23).
I love the “3:16 passages” of the Bible, and
in 2 Thess 3:16, Paul says that the “Lord of Peace” will give us peace at all
times and in all ways.
Paul spoke about the God of Peace twice in
Romans, once praying for the presence of the God of Peace in our lives right now
(see Romans 15:33). He again invokes the “God of Peace” to crush Satan under
our feet in the future.
In Philippians 4:9, Paul
encourages us that the “God of Peace” will always be with us when we seek His
excellence in our lives and practice things we have “learned and received and
heard and saw” in Paul’s life. And we know that it was in Philippi that Paul
and Silas sang out in the dungeon after being beaten for preaching the gospel.
Gospel of
Peace. Maybe that’s why the Bible not
only talks about the “God of Peace” but also the “Gospel of Peace”. Gospel
means good news. Romans 10:15 (in the KJV and NKJV) says that Gospel of Peace
is brought on beautiful feet because it glad tidings of good things. Paul was
referring back to Isa. 52:7 as well as Nahum 1:15, both passages talk about how
the proclamation of peace makes even our feet beautiful.
Part
of the armor of God is preparing our feet with the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15).
Maybe the connection of the gospel of peace and our feet is that the good news about
peace is that it follows us every step of the way.
Grace and
Peace. The God of Peace reminds us of
His second Coming. The Gospel of Peace reminds us of our current goings. But there
is a third connection of Peace and that is with our past. Have you ever noticed
that every letter Paul wrote in the Bible and both letters that Peter wrote begins
with Grace and Peace. Look it up. Even John’s second epistle and the book of Revelation
begins with grace and peace.
Grace and Peace are linked with our past. The
“if only’s” of our past dissolve into oblivion with God’s grace and peace. Grace
literally means “gift” and peace is a gift that God gives to us at salvation. He
graces us with peace in our past that we do not have to linger over our sins. Grace
is from the giving, peace is from the forgiving.
If you need peace, look to the prince of
peace, the Lord of peace, the God of peace and the gospel of peace. In those,
we find the gift or grace of peace.
