November 11

Peace is an elusive entity. Nations negotiate to achieve it but don’t trust one another sufficiently to believe real peace can exist even when solemn treaties are signed. Rogue nations unsettle the peace of all others because their stated intent is to wage war against any who do not espouse their world view.

An individual longs for peace within himself but is thwarted in his yearning by the almost continual contention he must face—at work, at home, at worship, in his own mind and spirit. One who is not at peace with himself cannot find that longed-for objective with another.

So is ‘peace’ make-believe? Is ‘peace’ the ‘Santa Clause for adults’? We hope to receive it but even if we sit up all night, will we enter the morning without having encountered it? That depends on where we search. If we search between nations or among men or within our own resources, it will elude us.

If, however, we seek peace from the One who is the “Prince of Peace,” (Isaiah 9:6), the One of Whom the Psalmist wrote, “In His days shall the righteous flourish and peace shall abound as long as the moon endures” (Psalm 72:7), then, no matter how shaken the world around us may be, our peace will abide.