The peace of God

Prayer creates peace. Prayer is initiated by God and ends not with us, but with God. And so, we have to realize that prayer if actually not about us. Likewise, peace is not about us. There are many images for peace. A dove, a peace sign, open hands, a candle, the lion lying with the lamb. These are all good. But I Would suggest that our very inability to imagine "peace" results from the fact that peace is not something we can even imagine. Like our image of God, we have many important and helpful images. God is a father. God is a shepherd. God is a king. But in the end, all of these images are pale. What I have always wanted is peace. And this morning, after prayer, I had it.

I just spent an hour sitting on my couch, doing nothing. I prayed, I prayed, and then my mind slipped, and then I prayed again. I uttered many words, I thought many thoughts, but it all came back to Jesus. "Yes, Jesus...Yes, Jesus."

The only time I have felt real PEACE in my life has been a direct result of the supernatural. God has been very gracious to offer me many glimpses of His peace. In these moments, I am blessed. I wish I could but give peace to those I love. But I cannot. After having prayed this morning, I feel a large amount of peace. This peace "surpasses all understtanding." In other words, the mind nor soul can contain it. In other words, it is beyond humanity. It is transcendent. It is supernatural. The peace of which I experienced, following prayer, was a PEACE that is the peace of a child in the arms of its father. There is possibly not greater experience than the experience of the PEACE OF CHRIST.

Lord Jesus, would you bring your peace, your kingdom, and your Before I stop writing this entry, I want to look back at the image on the screen above. This image is problematic. It seems unreal. Where are the animals. Where are the cities? Where are the people eating and drinking? Peace, if it is peace, looks a lot like what we see with our own eyes on a day to day basis. As we grow into Christian maturity, I believe we may see even more and more peace through the eyes of Christ.