Striving for peace
The continuous noise of life seems to have become a louder continuum for many people over the last few years, perhaps more so than I have experienced in recent decades. A global pandemic, an economic downturn, natural disasters, rising levels of anxiety in young people, or any number of other challenges mean a lot of people are struggling to find … peace.
Peace is often elusive because it has a wide definition. For some peace is to be found in a long bath after a stressful day, for others peace is a walk along the beach, for others peace is anything that takes them away from a stressful situation, for others peace is literally a quiet space away from noise.
For many people though, peace has a deeper goal. It is the search for a deep quietness in their soul, a constant sense of being at peace with whatever comes their way, a contentment that even though stress is part of daily living, peace is something to strive for as it puts the big picture of life into a wider perspective.
Peace in the Bible
In the Bible, the Apostle Paul talks about peace as he writes to Christians in the city of Rome. To put it in context, Christians are in dispute with each other, Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) are debating the merits of living according to the law, or not. They’re deeply divided along cultural lines, standing up for their own views on who God accepts more.
Wading into this argument, Paul reminds them that no one is better than another, that everyone is made righteous by faith in Christ, alone, not by works or by any other means.
In Chapter 5 of his letter to the Romans, Paul starts talking about the effects of understanding that God loves everyone, that faith in Christ alone is what leads to salvation. In Chapter 5, Verse 1, he describes the effect of understanding this truth as, peace. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The peace that Paul describes is not based on any external event, it’s not based on an economic state or the condition of the world, it’s not based on any level of success or ability to live morally or ethically. It’s peace that the world can’t offer through any of its schemes.
It’s an out-of-this-world peace that is possible only because out-of-this-world came to this world; Jesus made this deep peace possible and achievable.
The peace of Horatio Spafford
Horatio Gates Spafford (1828 – 1888), was a prominent Americanlawyer and Presbyterian church elder who experienced the kind of tragedy in life that would cripple most of us. Following the death of his four-year-old son and then losing significant wealth and status in The Great Chicago Fire of 1871, his four daughters were drowned in the early hours of 22 November 1873 when the ship, Ville du Havre, on a transatlantic voyage, collided with the British clipper, Loch Earn, and sank with the loss of 226 lives.
Spafford’s wife, Anna, survived the tragedy, and upon arriving in Cardiff, Wales, she sent a telegram to him that read, "Saved alone."
Shortly afterwards, as Spafford travelled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write the hymn, It Is Well with My Soul, as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.
Verse 1 is a powerful testimony to the kind of peace that can only be attained through Christ:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Peace like a river
The backstory to the writing of this hymn and the content therein could not be a more powerful analogy of the kind of peace only made possible through Christ, alone.
As Paul writes to another group of Christians in Philippi as they struggled to grasp the effects that Jesus has made possible, he says in Chapter 4, Verses 6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, is possible, it is achievable, and it is available to all.
Peace, like a river. Attainable only through Jesus. Available to all.
There’s something worth grasping, experiencing, and sharing.