27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:27)
On Oct. 7, the world watched in horror as we learned of Hamas’s barbaric terrorist assault on innocent Israelis. Since then, more stories have emerged describing the horror of that day. Our screens are also filled with reports of mounting death tolls in Gaza, and the sight of Palestinians wailing in anguish as the Israeli military retaliates. The war in Ukraine rages on. Armed conflicts continue in Myanmar, Ethiopia, and the Sudan. Refugees flee their homelands.
As we witness flows of blood and tears, we may also wonder what the escalation of regional conflicts could mean. We are indeed right to ask if true lasting peace is really possible.
The answer the Bible gives is “yes.” True and lasting peace is not only possible, but God promises that it will be a reality!
True peace will not find its source in humanity, but in God. When Christ’s peaceable kingdom comes in its fullness, when the new Jerusalem shall descend from heaven, “death will be no more mourning and crying and pain will be no more,”(Revelation 21: 4).
So let us, in these tumultuous times, pray for the victims of war, and live in the hope of God’s future, trusting the one who is the source of love and peace itself.
