Peace

With yet another bit of news that required a loved one to be added to our family's prayers, my son asked, "Why are there so many tragedies happening?" I assured him that "tragedies" was much too strong a word and that life is just like that. Jesus doesn't promise us that if we follow Him we will be without worries, difficulties, pain, or troubles. Actually, He promises us just the opposite...

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

In studying this next verse of thanks, I was drawn to this idea of the Lord's provision of peace in the midst of life's storms. Recently, I was incredibly, overwhelmingly aware of God's peace in a not-so peaceful situation. God has wired me such that I tend to be anxious in out of control situations. He has been working on me and my spirit a lot in the last year or so and this recent out of control situation made it quite clear that His peace does reign in my life after all. An "ah-ha" moment if you will.

Let's do a really quick fast forward through the events from yesterday's "bad guy, Manasseh" to today's praise and thanksgiving. The end of the fall of Jerusalem goes something like this. There were six more kings of Judah, all but one (Josiah) did evil in the eyes of the Lord. The messengers (prophets) of the Lord tried to warn the kings and their people to change their ways, but they weren't listening and instead mocked and scoffed their way into the wrath of the Lord. God sent the king of the Babylonians, King Nebuchadnezzar, up against the people of Israel and handed them over to his power. All of Jerusalem was destroyed and the people taken into exile for 70 years.

The following verse (our verse of thanks) is from events that followed the Lord's fulfillment of His words, that were spoken through the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 25:8-14), in which He moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation to release God's people and build them a temple of the Lord. 

"With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: 'He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.' And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid." Ezra 3:11

This effort by a Persian king to win the favor of peoples treated harshly by the Babylonians began the restoration period for the children of Israel. Only God has the sovereign power to change the heart of such a powerful ruler to accomplish His greater good. God was starting from scratch once again. There wasn't a single king of Judah (or Israel) left that He could accomplish His prophesy and promises through, so He had to work in the heart of a foreign ruler.

God's chosen people, the children of Israel, were a wayward mess. More often than not they were led by kings of corruption. They had serious commitment issues. They couldn't seem to stay on track and follow the God who loved them and follow His commands. Did God turn his back on them and forget His promises to deliver them? No, never. Did He give them opportunities to mend their ways, repent and come back to His love and protection? Yes, many, many times. Did they? No. Even at that, did God forsake them? No, He delivered them through the hands of a foreign king.

Does God promise us a smooth, uneventful path in life? No. Trouble will come. But what He does promise is His peace in the midst of the rocky road of life. When we remain in close relationship with Jesus, He will give us His peace that passes all understanding. The peace in the out of control moments in life that make you say, "Ah ha, there you are Jesus, thank you!"

"And be thankful." Colossians 3:15b