20 May 2014 - peacemeal

20 May 2014 - peacemeal
 
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.

How does the world give peace?  When we get exactly what we want when we want it we may experience fleeting peace in the world.  Even when there are good things happening to us there is usually something at the peripheries that keeps us from experiencing complete peace.  We may be walking in nature somewhere beautiful.  The temperature may be perfect.  The rivers and birdsong may be music to our ears.  Even the breeze can seem like a gentle caress.  That is when the mosquito buzzes by our ear.  The fleeting peace of the moment is shattered.  But we don't always get what we want.  And we often get what we don't want.  And even when we do get exactly what we want we can't hold on to it forever.  Just as quickly the world promises peace somewhere else.  It always keeps us looking from one thing to the next.  It tries to keep us from noticing that it can never fully satisfy us.

The peace of the world is a peace dependent on circumstances.  Circumstances in a fallen world can never give us lasting peace.  Jesus has the ability to give us a deep peace the persists in spite of circumstances, in spite of our own feelings, a peace that is always available if we just trust him to give it to us.

How else does Paul get up after being stoned almost to death and yet re-enter the same city?  When our circumstances do this to us we might try a different city.  Or we might give up the mission entirely.  Yet there are cities which we are called to enter.  We are called to fulfill our mission in these places.  But in these cities stones have already been thrown.  We can't even think about these places without anxiety about the people within and the stones they are all too ready to throw.  Paul has these human feelings, too.  It isn't that he doesn't feel them.  But there is something at a deeper level that empowers his decision making.  There is a deeper peace that knows that circumstances don't have the last word.  He knows that, ultimately, even death is defeated and can't beat him.  He has the peace that comes from knowing the risen LORD.  After all, we aren't promised perfect circumstances:

“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God.”

We need the peace of Christ to face these hardships.  The peace of Christ can guard our hearts even in spite of these hardships.  We need to use prayer and supplication to make our needs known to God.  We don't deny our circumstances.  But we entrust them to him.  And then his peace guards us no matter what we encounter (cf. Phi. 4:6-7).  We can easily imagine Paul doing this.  He gets up from being stoned and immediately feels called back into the city.  His mission there isn't finished.  But he is afraid.  His wounds are still fresh and painful.  And every sting of pain is also the promise of a new stone thrown if he does return.  So how does he do it?  How does he go back?  He must make this request of God.  He must say, 'LORD, let me re-enter this city with the strength to do your will.  I am afraid but you are the Risen One and you are with me.'  He casts all his cares on Jesus who first cares for him (cf. 1 Pet. 5:7).  Because he does this, trusting in the LORD in spite of his own feelings, the LORD is able to accomplish the purpose he has for him.

After they had proclaimed the good news to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.

The other aspect of living in the peace of Jesus which we shouldn't overlook is thanksgiving. 

And when they arrived, they called the Church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

 We need to rejoice over what God does for us. When we treasure these things in our hearts (cf. Luk. 2:19) we seal the memories within us and prevent the enemy from tampering with them.  If we don't give thanks it is easy for the enemy to steal these memories from us.  Then when we face new trials it is harder for us to look back on his fidelity.  When we face difficult we ought to say, "I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done" (cf. Psa. 143:5).

Even when it seems like Jesus is distant, when it seems like he is moving away from us, we need to trust that he is moving toward the Father and bringing with him all who believe.  We need to trust that, no matter how things look, the ruler of this world has no power of Jesus.  Jesus within us is greater than the one who is in the world (cf. 1 Joh. 4:4).  He has overcome the world (cf. Joh. 16:33).  The context of the promise of peace from Jesus is precisely his imminent apparent absence and defeat.  It is precisely here that we can claim his promise of peace.  Circumstances change but this kingdom does not pass away.

Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.