Real Peace

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the foreigners' palace is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt. Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall, like heat in a dry place. You subdue the noise of the foreigners; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is put down. On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 25:1-8 ESV).

Jack Dawson has painted one of the most enduring portraits of peace in his work titled, “Peace in the Midst of the Storm.” He writes about the painting: The hidden images in this painting help us see that just as the little bird found a hiding place in the cleft of the rock we have a refuge in Jesus Christ, our Rock. His cross, was a sacrifice for our sins, and his empty tomb a promise of our resurrection. Yet we are not promised a life without storms. In fact we know that there is always the presence of evil in the world, represented by the beastly image. Through the cross, we can overcome "because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (cf. 1 John 4:4). Only in Christ, can we have "Peace in the Midst of the Storm." The truth is that ultimate peace is not the absence of storms; but, it is inner peace in the storms. It should not be forgotten that no one of us can find lasting inner peace until we find peace with God. For when we find peace with God, we begin to experience peace within. Isaiah knew this principle. He lived and prophesied at a time when uncertainty and hardship were the common themes of the people of Israel. Conquering armies had taken their land, their sons and daughters, and left them with little more than ruin and hopelessness. Into this bleak day God broke through the noise of destruction and the fear of the future with the declaration that he would swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth. Now that can bring real peace! Have you found that peace? I hope you will. It begins with knowing Christ as Lord.