Peace is hard to find nowadays. Everywhere I look there’s conflict and violence and unrest. I look on the internet and see news articles and hate speech and broods of vipers and chaff. But then I look up, and I see all the peace lying around, waiting to be realized. When it feels like everything is going wrong, the birds will still sing and the cat still purrs and the trees still bear good fruit. For every story of evil and violence there’s two more people helping their neighbors and spreading peace. All this to say, peace is an effort, not a passive state of being.
In Matthew 3:8, John states, “Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” He commands that nothing puts you above the rules of God. Everyone has to work for that peace for it to be fulfilled. That’s where I truly feel the joy and peace of God; when I work with others to help and support our neighbors, regardless of who they are or what they have done.
Isaiah 11:3 goes, “His delight shall be in fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide what his ears hear.” God’s peace is a wonder that supersedes any judgement or previous sins. To be at peace is to feel the realness and active presence of the Spirit. It’s there when you’re doing well, and it’s there as the world crumbles around you. It’s in the adders’ den and the hands of a child. And if you can’t seem to find it no matter how hard you try, the peace of God is always there amidst an honest prayer.
This reflection was written by Jonah Reid.