True Perfect Peace (Lent)

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.

A very wealthy man publicized that he was willing to pay a substantial price to the artist who could best illustrate the presence of peace. Several artists submitted pictures depicting sunsets, lazy rivers, and serene landscapes, but none of those were what he was looking for. One day he came across two paintings: one was a quiet mountain lake as still as glass and reflecting the bright blue sky and the mountains. Sitting next to it was a painting of the same lake, but choppy waves, dark clouds, rain, and lightning.

The people who were following this exercise watched as the man examined the paintings, thinking that of those two paintings, surely he would choose the one with the still lake and mountains. They were shocked as he chose the second picture - the one depicting the stormy lake.

The crowd looked to man, understandably confused. He explained his choice: The first painting was peaceful, but it didn’t describe where peace came from. Peace is easy to see in a crystal-clear lake with white clouds drifting across the sky.

Then he pointed out something in the second painting. There was a waterfall, and tucked into a crevice of the mountain near it was a small nest on which a mother bird sat on her eggs.

The man said, “This second painting is a picture of true, perfect peace because it is within the storms of life we find real peace in God, knowing His presence will guard and protect us even in the midst of this world’s storms.”

Peace is not the absence of strife or despair or hope. It is not the absence of anything. It is the presence of God. The word for peace used in our scripture today - eirēnē - is the same word used in Galatians chapter 5 in which the fruits of the spirit are listed: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is the same word used in Paul's letter to the Philippians in which he says that the peace of God "which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Strong's Concordance beautifully defines eirēnē as, "the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is."

When Jesus said he was leaving his peace with us he was speaking of an active component of a life lived under the influence of the Holy Spirit; a peace that is unlike what passes for peace in our world today. It is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of Jehovah Shalom - the "God who brings peace."

We all can have that peace. We just have to ask—and receive.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for your peace. Thank you for always being with us. Give us the strength to share your peace with all those we meet. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney.

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