Hope and Peace

 

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5 ESV).

 

If ever there seemed to be a time when more of us have been searching for peace I have not experienced it in my lifetime. It seems like the entire year of 2020 has been nothing but turmoil and uncertainty. With that thgouht let me try and bring you closer to hope and peace. Perhaps you remember my quoting from The Valley of Vision, a Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. It was a serendipitous gift from a dear friend, Ed Braswell. The following is found in it:

 

O God, most high, most glorious, the thought of Your infinite serenity cheers me, for I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed, but You are for ever at perfect peace. Your designs cause You no fear or care of unfulfilment, they stand fast as the eternal hills. Your power knows no bond, Your goodness no stint. You bring order out of confusion, and my defeats are Your victories: The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

 

I come to You as a sinner with cares and sorrows, to leave every concern entirely to You, every sin calling for Christ’s precious blood; revive deep spirituality in my heart; let me live near to the great Shepherd, hear His voice, know its tones, follow its calls. Keep me from deception by causing me to abide in the truth, from harm by helping me to walk in the power of the Spirit. Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities, burning into me by experience the things I know; Let me never be ashamed of the truth of the gospel, that I may bear its reproach, vindicate it, see Jesus as its essence, know in it the power of the Spirit.

 

Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill; unbelief mars my confidence, sin makes me forget You. Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots; grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to You, that all else is trifling. Your presence alone can make me holy, devout, strong and happy. Abide in me, gracious God.

 

In our reading today, Paul points out that our hope and faith are not based on our ability; they are grounded in the power of God. This is the God who raised Jesus from the dead, and who says that if we believe, then we are his children. Well, I believe, so I am a child of God. God has given birth, as it were, to a new me. That does not make me perfect; it makes me a child of God. It means I am part of his family and that God is my Father. Therefore I have and am at peace with God because I am now safely within the family. Understanding that I am part of the family means something more. It means that when I suffer, I don’t need to wonder if I still belong. Whatever happens now happens within the context of God’s family. In fact, when I put my hope in God, God pours his love into me. God wants me to rest peacefully in that. It’s what a heavenly Father desires for his children. So, look to Him alone! Pray that old Puritan Prayer!