PEACE

George Feldmann

 

A story is told of two artists commissioned to compete in painting a picture depicting peace. One painted a valley of beautiful trees and flowers surrounded by snow-capped mountains. The other painted a storm-tossed scene, perhaps something like the picture above, in which a little bird was shown peacefully and securely nested in the cleft of a rock. The judges decided on this picture as being more true to life.

There has never been any true or lasting peace in this present world. The nearest thing to true peace that anyone can experience in this present world is a peace of mind and spirit. And only this can come from God. Peace for the world will never be realized until it is established some day by the Prince of Peace, on His sovereign terms.

The little bird found peace in the clefts of the rock. We find this same idea in the Bible where the Lord is represented as the Rock (De 32 and many other references found in a concordance) to the children of Israel. The Rock is represented as all things: Creator, Savior, Provider, Protector, etc. Those that are in Christ today can take a spiritual application from this for themselves.

In the New Testament there are two aspects of the peace of God to consider:

1. Peace with God. Rom. 5:1. All of us at one time were enemies to God, and were by nature the children of wrath. The moment of saving faith is exercised, peace with God becomes part of one’s standing in Christ, which man cannot tamper with or spoil. But in contrast to this there is a second aspect to peace:
   
   
2. Peace of God. Ph’p. 4:7. This has to do with the believer’s present state of mind and spirit. This peace can be gained and lost, depending on the believer. How this peace is gained and what it does for the believer is best described by the Word itself: “Be careful (anxious) for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Ph’p. 4:6, 7).

Psychiatry is no substitute for Christ. The Word alone cures mental and emotional problems.

[Reprinted from Truth For Today Vol 18, No. 2]