“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” Psalm 91:4 

Google the phrase, “Peace Institutes in the world,” and you will be amazed at the number that exist today.  Among them are The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Global Peace Institute, Peace Brigades International and a host of others, all dedicated to what they call “a scientific basis for permanent peace.”  Described by some as “the science of human survival” these brain trusts are searching for a formula that will allow men to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks as Micah said would someday happen.

If these institutes were held as public corporations, I’m not sure very many people would buy their stock.  Why?  The answer is obvious.  But there’s one thing for sure.  Nobody will put the peace institutes out of business, at least not until God says, “Enough!  Gabriel, blow your trumpet!”  The sad reality is that peace seems to be as far away today as it was when Cain’s heart was filled with evil and he killed his brother.

Many people have hearts filled with unrest and turmoil.  The director of a counseling center wrote, “The dark side of human experience, and a global culture of hatred and chaos, punctuated recently by large-scale acts of atrocity… have left many adults and children with post-traumatic stress symptoms.  It is not unusual to experience disrupted sleep patterns, irritability, difficulty sustaining attention, hyper-vigilance, and a general sense of vulnerability.”[1]

It’s not just our fear of what terrorists may do, or what North Korea may do, or Israel and her Arab enemies are doing.  That’s only the surface–like the tough onion skin which you peel layer by layer to reveal layers of stress in our homes, our offices, our families, our churches and schools.  It’s like a global societal dysfunction.  Yes, you can keep the doors locked and dead-bolted.  With narrowed eyes of suspicion, you can scan a crowd, or check out fellow-passengers as you board a bus or airplane.  You can look with suspicion at the stranger in your neighborhood.  But you cannot escape.

So how do you face the uncertainties?  Here’s a more important question:  Are you God’s child?  If you are, and your heart is overwrought with turmoil, you need the peace and tranquility that can come to you because you know God is still in control, and that He loves you and has not forsaken you.

With the cross looming on the horizon, Jesus met with the disciples and calmly instructed, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

Mark those words in your Bible. Write them on a card and put it on your mirror where you can see it as you start the day.  You’ll find them in your New Testament in John 14:27.

Here’s a picture to remember.  A contest was held to find an artist who could best represent peace in the midst of a storm.  The winning painting depicted a raging storm with wind blowing, the boughs of trees bending with the gale of the wind and rain, but on a branch of a tree was a bird’s nest and with her feathers of protection spread over the nest were three tiny birds oblivious to the storm because of the mother’s wings.

Here’s the bottom line.  As God’s child, you can face the storm, knowing that you are sheltered by the Almighty no matter how strongly the winds blow.

 

Resource reading: Psalm 130:1-6

[1] Winfrey, Joan Burgess, “Do You Love Me? Feed My Lambs,” Focalpoint, summer, 2002, p. 11).