Whose Peace?

World peace is a fable. Since 2003, there have been no less than 138 armed conflicts. In the past 3,400 years only 268 years have seen no such conflicts, And for the past 135 years there has been no year without a war somewhere. Peace will not come to this world until Jesus sets up His millennium reign on earth. Mankind, collectively, will never achieve world peace. Individually, we can all experience the peace that Jesus brings.

In John 14:27, the disciple writes “Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.” This statement comes toward the end of a passage in which Jesus is giving His disciples his last will and testament.

Peace from the World. The peace that comes from the world will never succeed. It is based on the thought that we can achieve it using human methods and effort. As a member of the Boomer generation, I am well-aware of the mantra “Give peace a chance.” The problem is that we have given peace many chances and have failed miserably. Since 1901 the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded annually to those who have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Many of the recipients have been very poor choices, and the award seems insignificant in terms of any results.

Seeking peace through human efforts is futile. I see two reasons for this futility. First, we are seeking something that comes from God without looking to Him for peace. It’s like going to the hardware store to buy groceries. You’re looking in the wrong place. God is the source of all real peace. The human perspective is to overcome all obstacles so we can be the last one standing – the opposite of peace. Nik Saeedi, who is team leader for Prevention of Violent Extremism, UNDP’s Global Focal Point on MHPSS; Religion, and Hate Speech (what a title!) has written an article entitled “World Peace is not only Possible but Inevitable.” I beg to differ, she is seriously misguided.

Secondly, I find it somewhat incredible that there are many theories about how to achieve world peace. Wikipedia describes several of these, including Capitalism Peace Theory, Cobdenism, Democratic Peace Theory, Economic Norms Theory, Marxism, Mutual assured destruction, and Peace through strength. Each of these define world peace differently. We can’t even agree on what world peace is, how can we, as humans, hope to achieve it?   

The peace that the world gives brings to mind many of the scam ads you find on the internet. Often those purchases result in disappointment In contrast, God’s peace is priceless, the real thing and does not disappoint.

Peace from Jesus. What is this peace that Jesus gives? James MacDonald wrote “Peace is the calm assurance that what God is doing is best. Peace comes from knowing that He is in control.” God’s peace is a signal that we can trust Him, rest in Him, and see Him at work in our lives.

This is God’s peace and is sufficient. Jesus’ birth was signaled by a star and by a host of heavenly angels. It was somewhat of a big production.Those who saw came to Him. His return will be even more spectacular. Revelation 1:7 (CEV) tells us “Look! He is coming with the clouds. Everyone will see him, even the ones who stuck a sword through him. All people on earth will weep because of him. Yes, it will happen! Amen.” There are three notable statements in this passage. First, all will see Him when He returns. We don’t know the details but we can know we will see him. Second, there will be weeping. It is likely this comes from those who have not known Him, but also tears of rejoicing that He has come. And third, His return is a certainty! Thousands of prophecies in the Bible have been fulfilled and there are still over 500 yet to be fulfilled. We know He is coming again.

One episode of The Andy Griffith Show has Opie asking Andy “Pa, do we know when Jesus is coming back?” Andy answers, “Nope, son: God put us on the welcome committee, not the planning committee.” We don’t know when Jesus will come back, but we can be ready for His return.

When this occurs, world peace will be achieved as Christ ushers in His Kingdom. Jesus’ peace for each of us comes internally. He doesn’t promise us a bed of roses – we will have troubles and conflict as did Jesus when He first came to earth. The peace He brings is a calmness of our confidence in God. It comes at a time when we should our circumstances dictate we should not be at peace. Tony Evans commented “Jesus had this peace because he was sure of the Father’s love and approval. He could therefore move forward to meet the crisis without fear or hesitation. The world can give only false peace, which mostly comes from the ignorance of peril or self-reliance.” We can have the peace of Jesus.

Are you ready for Jesus’ return? If not, you can join the welcoming committee. Just ask HIm.

Peace image by ANDRI TEGAR MAHARDIKA from Pixabay

Dove Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Think God Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay 

All scripture is the New American Standard Version unless otherwise specified