In and At Peace

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It was Eisenhower who said, "We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it." How ironic is it that we pursue peace, yet find it amid the battle? Some believe peace comes in the absence of 'warfare' or 'turmoil', but let's challenge that belief a little today. God's peace is available at all times - peace with mankind may take a bit of work on all our parts. Inner peace is amazing but living at peace with one another is pretty doggone awesome, too! How does this type of peace come about? By listening to God!

I will listen to God the Lord. He has ordered peace for those who worship him. Love and truth belong to God’s people; goodness and peace will be theirs. (Psalm 85:8-10)

How do we listen? Isn't listening done with more than our ears? Some may not think so, but we listen with our eyes, hearts, and minds. We see and we respond. We 'feel' and we reach out. We think upon and we act. Listening requires we 'hear' employ a great deal of our spiritual senses, as well as our natural senses. Is part of listening actually responding? At times, this is true. We hear a call, and we respond with a corresponding action. God's ask of us is to be obedient to whatever he asks - responding with the corresponding action he leads us to take.

Realizing peace comes at a cost is really what Eisenhower was saying - it takes a fight on the battlefield to get to the place where peace can exist. The cost may be high - so in the pursuit of peace we might just want to be paying attention to what our 'Commander-in-Chief' says! We don't want to just foolishly linger where we can realize unnecessary loss, nor do we want to be out on our own where we can be a sitting duck for our enemies. We want to be 'in God's presence' - through worship, time in the Word, and in fellowship with other believers. 

Peace isn't optional for God's kids. He "orders" peace for those who worship him. How is peace 'felt'? Love, truth, goodness - these are hallmarks of real peace. Where love abounds, wars cease. Where truth prevails, all deception will fall away. Where goodness is the norm, foolishness falls by the wayside. We need God's wisdom to live 'in peace' and 'at peace' with one another. We live 'in peace' because we have his presence within. We live 'at peace' because we pursue his direction for our lives. Just sayin!

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