Peace Like A River!

A quality the Spirit creates in believers is Peace.  Peace is again a gift of Christ. He said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). The Lord Jesus gives to trusting believers this inner repose and spiritual quietness of soul, even in the face of adverse circumstances.  Through the Holy Spirit the human spirit it placed at ease to such a degree that it defies human understanding (Phil. 4:7).  This is often described as the “peace of God” in several well-known passages (Phil. 4:7; Col. 3:15).  Peace can also be described as the absence of anxiety and the presence of trusting assurance in the promises of God. The Spirit of God helps us resists the tendency to worry and become anxious. Christians can know peace even when something they were counting on does not come through. After all, God is still very much on His throne. Note also, the farther a person drifts away from God, the less they will experience this gracious peace.  It is the “peace of God” because it originates in Him, finds its rich Source in God, and constantly resides in Him.  If a believer makes much of knowing God and cherishes intimacy with Him, they will experience His peace. He delights to give this gift to His children.

Peace is not limited to the peace of God, which is inner peace, but it includes harmonious relations among Christians as well. In 1 Thessalonians 5:13, Paul commanded the church to, “be at peace among yourselves.” James 3:18, assures that “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” Once again Paul instructed in 2 Timothy 2:22 to “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Accordingly, the writer of Hebrews enlarges the scope of peace in Hebrews 12:14, where he challenges us to “follow peace with all men.”  Then certainly one cannot forget the words of the Lord Jesus when He said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matt. 5:9). God’s children are marked by inner peace and by making peace with others. They are peace enjoyers, peace seekers, and peace makers like their Father.

  A reading of Luke 8:22–25 reveals a brilliant example of peace from the life of Christ, the Redeemer. The plan was to cross the Lake of Galilee and minister on the other side. Along the way Jesus went to sleep. The calm waters of the lake mirrored the calm in His soul.  But suddenly the winds began to howl and blow violently as the storm grew and began tossing the ship about.  The disciples, horrified by the ship filling up with water, thought themselves to be in mortal jeopardy. But even in the midst of this ragging storm Jesus was untroubled, free of anxiety or panic, unworried, not frazzled, and able to rest.  This is peace!  Feeling themselves in imminent danger the disciples awoke the Lord.  The Master of the seas arose to calm His disciples’ ragging storms—both the external and internal.  In the storm the Lord Jesus could still rest, sleep, and then awaken refreshed and available for God’s use! There were no anxiety attacks, worry filled evenings, or episodes of pacing the floors all through the night for Him.  It was not another night of tossing and turning trying to find one good hour of that elusive thing called sleep. No, this is tranquility of heart rooted in perfect confidence in a loving mighty and wise God.  Christ offers believes this same type of peace through the Holy Spirit.

The foundation for fruitfulness has been laid in the consideration of love, joy, and peace. God is the Source of these blessed strengths. Scripture speaks of the “love of God” (Rom. 5:5; 1Jn. 2:5), “joy of the Lord” (Neh. 8:10; Isa. 29:19), and “the peace of God” (Phil. 4:7; Col. 3:15) to demonstrate that He alone is the sufficient Source. With these defined and understood the believer is prepare to learn the other aspects of spiritual fruit in their lives. Remember the first three of these virtues are habits of mind which find their source in God. It is impossible to know spiritual love, joy, and peace without depending utterly upon the Spirit to produce them. The Christian’s walk with the Lord must be right to evidence such fruit. Trusting, abiding, and relying on Him moment by moment is essential and in real time he will furnish the life with fruit.