"Peace"

I thought if I worked harder,

And gave life all my best,

I could earn the peace I sought,

And find my rightful rest.

But the harder that I tried,

The more it ran from me,

Proved to be elusive,

Beyond my reach, you see.

I thought if I played harder,

And lost myself in fun,

The peace I’d find in pleasure,

Was how I’d get it done.

But the fun just wore me out,

Gave exhaustion to my soul,

My selfishness consumed me,

And no peace took its toll.

I thought if I’m religious,

And tried to pray and serve,

Surely then I’d get my peace,

‘Cause religious folk deserve.

But all my church performance,

Only gave to me more guilt,

Peace waxed and wane like ocean waves,

O’er sand castles that I built.

At last I finally realized,

That the only way to peace,

Was if I turned to Jesus,

And He gave me release,

From doing all the things I thought,

That I would have to do,

To earn the peace that only He,

Could give to me, it’s true.

He calmed the fever in my soul,

He took my sins away,

He said that He would grace me,

It was the only way.

And now the blessed peace of Christ,

Resides down in my soul,

And, no, I didn’t earn it,

But it no less made me whole.

Transcending understanding,

That peace is now my guard,

My life is firmly in the hands,

Who for me were nail-scarred.

Jesus is my peace, you see,

It’s what His promise gives,

And if we will surrender,

His peace within us lives.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1, NAS)

Peace is a gift for the justified. We are justified by placing our faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our sins. This means that we can never earn nor deserve it, because it is based upon God’s unmerited favor. He graces us with pardon, and as someone has said, makes it “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned. Peace is the deep, abiding confidence that this has happened and we are secure. It cannot be stolen from us, neither can it be sinned away. Peace does not mean the absence of challenge or conflict. It is not an emotion, though it affects how we feel. It is spiritual reality, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, that lets us know we are all right, and are going to be all right in the future.

Lord, thanks for Your peace, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.