Hard Fought Peace

Peace does not come freely. Peace usually results from the struggle between two or more parties involved in any given relationship or set of circumstances. The peace the world knows tends to be the result of the ongoing battle between two opposing sides learning to compromise with one another, even at the cost of genuine relationships being hurt by the concept of cheap peace. The Kind that only remains for a short while and leaves you empty-handed. Peace feels more like a philosophical and ethereal state than a reality in our world. After all, world peace is the hope for every Miss USA or Miss Universe contestant, a hope that remains but never quite makes its way into our perception of reality. Peace appears far-fetched and a child’s dream for many today.

1 To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

2 O my God, in You I trust,

Do not let me be ashamed;

Do not let my enemies exult over me.

3 Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;

Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.

4 Make me know Your ways, O LORD;

Teach me Your paths.

5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

For You I wait all the day.

6 Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses,

For they have been from of old.

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

According to Your lovingkindness remember me,

For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD.

8 Good and upright is the LORD;

Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.

9 He leads the humble in justice,

And He teaches the 1humble His way.

10 All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth

To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

11 For Your name’s sake, O LORD,

Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

12 Who is the man who fears the LORD?

He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

13 His soul will abide in prosperity,

And his descendants will inherit the land.

14 The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him,

And He will make them know His covenant.

15 My eyes are continually toward the LORD,

For He will pluck my feet out of the net.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,

For I am lonely and afflicted.

17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;

Bring me out of my distresses.

18 Look upon my affliction and my trouble,

And forgive all my sins.

19 Look upon my enemies, for they are many,

And they hate me with violent hatred.

20 Guard my soul and deliver me;

Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.

21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,

For I wait for You.

22 Redeem Israel, O God,

Out of all his troubles.

The peace we long for is not one that any charismatic leader can deliver to us. Whether in the halls of the White House, from the gardens of the Kremlin, or even from the platform before the United Nations General Assembly, No one on earth can deliver peace to this broken world. Just tune in to the latest news, and you will see the brokenness of the world we live in today. Russia and Ukraine continue to wage war one against the other. Nations worldwide are reacting to the conflict by revving up the stockpiling of weapons and supplies for the possibility of a worldwide conflict. People do not see other recourse at home, and violence is the path to settling disagreements or disputes. Beyond the gratuitous attacks on bystanders, people suppress their pain and hurt and numb it with social media, alcohol, drugs, or even social activism, providing the same effect as any other highly addictive substance. As a result, the world and every individual in it are suffering hunger pangs as they so unknowingly search for peace that endures. The gift of peace is promised as the fruit of living by the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Dear friend, the only peace that this broken world can ever truly experience is from the One that the Psalmist writes in Psalm 25 and the One of whom Matthew, Luke, and John testify in their accounts of the Gospel. The God incarnate, the baby born to a young maiden and an honorable young man as they were traveling to Bethlehem. Jesus Christ is the only hope for a world numbed by many cheap alternatives for peace. Therefore, I encourage you to meditate on the text provided in this article and to surrender the pain, the hurt, the betrayal, the abandonment, the loneliness, the anger, the hopelessness, the selfishness, and the humiliation you may have experienced or going through right now. Instead, turn your gaze to the One who is sovereign over all creation. He is the God, Creator, Sustainer, and Deliverer of those who solely trust Him; He alone is faithful and more than capable of filling your heart with peace that does not fade away or shows itself empty-handed through trials and difficulties.

May this Christmas season find you at a junction where your heart can be satisfied with HIS peace for you and your loved ones. This is my prayer for you, my dear reader.