Blessed are...

Making Peace

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9

“Shalom,” to the Hebrew mind, meant so much more than the absence of war. To be at peace, or to know this shalom, was to enjoy a state of mind untroubled by the circumstances of life. Peace meant wholeness, an overall well-being. Essentially, peace depended upon being in a right relationship with God, knowing one’s sins to be forgiven, one’s future assured by His Covenant. Peace, therefore, was a recovery of Paradise, at least in part. To sow peace in the life of another was to recapture a little slice of Eden.

For the Christian, peace cannot be divorced from the ministry of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.[1] Wherever the Kingdom of God is advanced, wherever peace is claimed or offered, there we see not only a reminder of Paradise lost, but also a foretaste of Paradise regained. To sow peace in the life of another is to see a little slice of heaven. There, in the Kingdom that will know no end, there will be no more war, for the Lamb shall reign.[2]

And we are called to be makers of peace. We are not to wait, passively, for peace to come to us; we are to seek it, urgently, passionately. At times, the quest for peace may feel very much like strife. Our commitment to peace may cause us to stand up for what is right or good. But the peacemaker cannot shy away from conflict. The struggle for the Kingdom will not always be beside still waters; it may also be over rough and rugged terrain. In short, peace is not often gained without a Cross. And if it costs nothing, that is probably exactly what it is worth.

Father God,
Lead me in the ways of peace.
Show me, again, that there can be no peace
unless and until I am reconciled to You.
Then, teach me to share that peace
through selfless deeds of sacrifice and love,
and by naming the Name above all others,
by which such peace is possible – the name of Christ.
Through Him alone.
Amen.




[1] Isaiah 9:6
[2] Revelation 5:12-13