It seems obvious that the word peace would be associated with HOPE. Ummm… even an elementary student would be able to understand that relationship. Just thinking of the word peace, gives me HOPE. Yes, there’s HOPE in peace. The end… you’re welcome!
I discovered more about the word peace recently. Eirene is the Greek word for peace, which means “to bind together that which has been separated”. Ironically, the word bind doesn’t have a peaceful connotation. Being in a bind sounds anything but peaceful. In fact, being bound resembles something that comes with a gray and white striped outfit. And that, folks, is another example of how God loves irony. He takes our worldly vision of something and brings an entirely opposite meaning when looking at it through an eternal lens.
Peace… to bind together that which has been separated. Thanks to Adam and Eve, we are all separated from God because of sin. Unfortunately for Adam and Eve, their names will never be separated from that colossal mistake. Sin brings with it guilt and shame, embarrassment and division. Let’s face it, no good feeling or situation ever comes from sin. Sure, we may feel good for a moment or two, but that feeling wanes and we are left feeling like… ummm… sinners. Bring on the shame… the lies to cover up our sin… bring on the guilt and all that comes with it. Fun times…
The silver lining to sin is we don’t have to be bound to it (See what I did there?). The answer to sin is Jesus who came to this world to save it, not to condemn it. He took all our sins on the cross… yes, each and every one… those sins that already occurred and those sins yet to be. Jesus bore them all so that God only sees the righteousness in us. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, His blood cleanses us from all our past, present, and future sin. We are washed as white as snow… we are righteous in God’s eyes… just beautiful!
But that isn’t all… nope! God’s Holy Spirit comes to dwell inside of us; guiding us along the path God has planned for our lives and binding us forever as a Child of God. His Holy Spirit becomes the voice of truth we hear when we need godly wisdom and direction. His Spirit helps us find Bible verses that direct the steps we take and connect us with others. His Spirit supports us in shining our light on a dark world; exercising our God given gifts to make the world a better place. We are bound to God via His Spirit through Jesus’ saving grace on the cross… peacefully.
If the indwelling of His Holy Spirit is a hard concept for you to understand, let me put it in worldly terms with some help from Stan Lee and Captain Marvel. For those who don’t know this story line, a pilot named Carol Danvers destroys an engine’s energy-core before it gets into evil hands. As the energy core is destroyed, Carol’s body absorbs the energy and gains superhuman powers in the process. Okay… it’s a stretch of a comparison but stick with me. While believers can’t fly or shoot energy beams, we do have access to God’s wisdom through His Word and in prayer. Yes, we can talk to The Almighty God and He will respond. This superpower enables us to hear His wisdom and apply godly character throughout our daily lives. God’s comfort is our strength, bound by His peace.
Peace is the opposite of division. It is the state of harmony… an inner sense of rest and well-being... another superpower. As a Christian, when you are truly at peace, you are not affected by outside influences because you know God has His hand in ALL of it and He works ALL things for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Now that’s a superpower of peace! The apostle Paul is an amazing role model of inner peace. He wrote about being self-contained in God… that he needed nothing and no one other than God to provide for his every need. Now that’s a superpower I work to acquire daily. Honestly, some days I am better at it than others.
Where sin separated us from God, Jesus’ love brings us peace that binds us to God through His Holy Spirit. The peace that passes ALL understanding is God’s superpower gift to all those who believe in Him. We have super peace; being indwelled by His Spirit to apply godly character in all we say and do. I don’t know about you but I will take a dose of super peace from a loving God every second of each day for the rest of my life. Yes, Captain Marvel… you can keep your ability to fly, absorb energy, and shoot light out of your eyes. I choose God’s super peace… the peace that comes with a ton of HOPE.
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