What is peace? In 21st century North America, peace is an underrated concept. We wake up expecting peace. We believe peace to be our right. If we wake up to the sound of two people arguing nearby, we complain that they have disturbed our peaceful slumber. To a Libyan, however, peace must be a different concept. In Misrata, where the entire city is currently under siege from Gaddafi's forces, peace would mean being able to sleep without fear of an artillery shell landing next to you, or walk to the store without being afraid a stray bullet hitting you.
It would seem then, that the opposite of peace is fear. Now this fear would be a different kind of fear godly men have for God -- a more accurate term for that might be reverence. This fear is the fear of evil men when God unleashes His wrath on mankind, and men call out to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Rev. 6:15-17) Since Paul has established that all people are evil, all of mankind stands in this state of fear. This fear may not fully manifest until Jesus returns, but it will come. The good news is, we have been saved from having to face this fear, and instead have peace with God.
Peace here really reminds me of the time when Jesus calms the storm (Mark 4:35-41). He says to the storm "Peace; be still." The winds quiet down and the rain stops, and the disciples were amazed. God says the same thing to us: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10). Because we have peace with God, we can be still, be amazed, and exalt Him among the nations.
Going back to Libya, do the Libyans deserve peace? Yes, it is as much their right as it is our right. But do we deserve peace with God? Do we deserve to take shelter in the Ark of God while He floods the earth, after we have ignored His warnings for years? Of course not. And so peace with God is a gift from God. As Paul writes: "whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." (v. 2) How much more should we be thankful for having peace with God!
And because of this peace we have with God, we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. The glory of God is God revealed. Isaiah, when he saw the glory of God, said "Woe is me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." (Isaiah 6:5) Revelation tells of the return of Jesus Christ (Rev. 19:11-21). In a display of His glory, Jesus fights the most one-sided battle in all of history -- His Word against the beast, the false prophet, and all the kings of the earth -- and wins. And yes, we hope for this glory, because we know that we have peace with God. We know that we are not people of unclean lips, and we know that we are not of the earth.
And so we hope. And we persevere through our sufferings by being focused on this hope. When I get asked to tell my testimony, I begin after my baptism. This is because in grade 10 I went into the baptistery fully prepared to get dunked, come out, live my life as I see fit, and then go to heaven when I die, or when Jesus returns, whichever comes first. God however had other plans, and stuck me with a rather painful relationship issue in grade 11, and only recently came to a close, and even now I feel somewhat depressed when I pray for her. In the summer of grade 11, I also lost the use of my left eye. Rather than these events being downer endings however, these events built perseverance, character and hope. Perseverance because I had no choice but to carry on, character because I learned to be dependent on God (among a whole slew of other things), and hope because I through dependence on God I know that He is in control, and therefore there are only happy endings. And here comes the best part: Hope does not fail us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts. Hope does not fail us because God does not fail us.
This only gets us to verse 5, but the next couple verses talk mostly about being reconciled through the blood of Christ, and saved by the resurrection of Christ. While important, I don't want to write an essay, and there is one final thing I want to concentrate on, and that is verse 11: "Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God..." We rejoice in the peace we have, we rejoice in the hope we have, but most of all, we rejoice in the God who provides the peace and hope we possess.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.
-- Philippians 4:4-7
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