"Peace"

The peace God gives,

So strong outlives,

The grief and pain of life,

Transcends our thoughts,

Relieves the oughts,

Those times we left the light.

And we can’t make,

But only take,

This peace ‘cause it’s a gift,

When night is long,

And we’ve been wrong,

That peace our spirits lift.

And when God’s will,

We can’t distill,

We search to find the way,

His peace the path,

Great aftermath,

Of what the cross did pay.

And we can stay,

Peace lights the way,

God’s arms will shelter strong,

He stills the storm,

Restores the norm,

And steadies us along.

Praise God for peace,

The weights release,

And Jesus’ easy yoke,

His word my stay,

Makes me okay,

The peace is what He spoke.

“I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give…” (John 14:27, NLT)

When Jesus talked about peace He associate it with the coming of the Holy Spirit. When the Advocate comes to represent Jesus on earth, He brings to us the peace Jesus’ blood bought on the cross. What great price Jesus paid for our peace. And yet He did it to bring peace to our relationship with God and the circumstances of our lives. His peace is something the world cannot give nor can it take away. it’s too strong to be stolen, and can only be relinquished when we choose not to receive it. But why would we? Who knows, but people live in fear every day when God’s peace would give them confidence. It is perhaps one of the greatest gifts that we enjoy. And that’s also why in the Christian traditions of the Lord’s Supper, many include what is called “passing the peace.” This is a symbolic gesture of the way we are to live. Since we have received and continue to receive His peace, we should pass it to others. They need it, too.

Lord, help us both receive and pass along Your peace, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Jack Sorenson, jacksorensonfineart.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Jack, and God bless you.