Are you
at peace? Peace is a quality of life
long sought after and too seldom found.
One of the ancient names of God is “Yahweh Shalom.” It means “The Lord is Peace!” Peace is not a quality that can be squeezed
out of human circumstances, nor conjured up by finite and mortal minds. Peace is not merely the absence of conflict,
but rather it is a quality of life that emanates from God Himself. Peace is not bovine placidity. Peace is the fruit of the Victory of Christ
Jesus in your life. Peace is the tranquility of spirit that rests upon the Rock
the never moves.
Isaiah
the prophet says, “Thou dost keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on
thee: because he trusts in thee” (Isaiah 26:3 RSV). Peace comes from relationship with the God of
peace. Peace comes from resting in Him
who is Peace Itself.
Several
things destroy peace. An unwillingness
to forgive, or an unwillingness to love either yourself or another, and
sometimes an unwillingness to stand out as peace makers. Fear, guilt, and control issues, also block
the entrance of peace. The first step
towards resting in the God Who is Peace often starts with the action of
surrender, the willingness to let go, to relax, to let drop, to be still. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm
46:10).
Experience
teaches us that such surrender is often beyond our grasp, but experience also
teaches us that when we crack open the doors of our hearts and say to Him, “You
know I am not willing, but I am willing to be willing”, that the miracle of peace
and inner healing begins. It is a
principle of Divine grace and love, that He comes down to our level and meets
us where we are, not where we think we ought to be. That in a very real sense is why the Living
God became Incarnate in the flesh of humankind.
The classic
Gospel story of peace is taken from the adventure of the disciples on the sea
of Galilee.
35 On that
day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the
other side." 36 And
leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And
other boats were with him. 37
And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the
boat was already filling. 38
But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to
him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" 39 And he awoke and rebuked the
wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased,
and there was a great calm. 40
He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" 41 And they were filled with awe,
and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey
him" [Mark 4:35-41]?
It is the
presence of Jesus, that brought peace to the disciples on the sea of Galilee despite
their fears, and it is the presence of Jesus that brings peace to us today.
That is to some extent a matter of both grace and discipline. To be at peace
takes a conscious redirection of our minds and hearts. St. Benedict reminds us,
“Let us consider then, how we ought to behave in the presence of God and his
angels, and let us stand to sing the psalms in such a way that our minds are in
harmony with our voices.” [The Rule, Ch. 19:6,7].
The
classic Anglican understanding of true peace, true tranquility of spirit, rests
on a three-fold foundation: The Daily Offices (Morning and Evening Prayer in
the Book of Common Prayer), Habitual Recollection (The practice of the presence
of God, and informal prayers), and faithful attendance at Holy Eucharist. Peace is an acquired grace that comes from a
spiritual orientation carried into action in prayer and worship. When you are intentionally with the God of
peace, peace will be yours. Peace is a
grace from God that comes as the fruit of spiritual discipline.
Our
desire is often for instant results: “I want peace, and I want it right now!” Peace doesn’t often come that way, rather it
is born and nurtured in our hearts.
There is a necessary process. We
become at least willing to forgive, and willing to love, even though for the
life of us we can’t artificially drum up either the willingness to forgive and
love. Both are a gift and a grace of God
that come with the surrender of our circumstances to Him, and with the decision
to move towards forgiveness and love.
We begin
to pray and read Scripture, at least taking on ourselves one of the Daily
Offices; and we persist day after day in humble, quiet discipline. The process is much like planting a seed;
once planted don’t keep pulling it up to see if roots are developing. Plant the Offices within your soul and water
with persistence, keeping your soul in the light of the Word. Peace most often steals upon us
unawares. Looking back we say with some
small surprise, “Well, well, it seems I have been at peace now for some
while. So, taking time to be quiet in
the Presence of God is the herald of peace.
Would you expect it to be any other way?
