Introduction:
Peace is a precious but rare commodity that many of the nations of the world are chasing after. But it is probably the most elusive one. I for one, it is. Most countries are suffering due to the absence of it. Peace treaties, peace pacts, agreements have been signed; and many of such are yet to be signed. Still, there are peace negotiations going on. But where is global peace? Alfred Nobel’s “Nobel Peace Prize” is an attractive incentive. We can only imagine the honor, and other prizes, involved in it. But since its inception, not many people have been awarded of it. The slogan, “Give peace a chance” is globally popular but not ocular.
How about in our personal lives? Is there really peace in the workplace, at home, in the community, in the church, and most importantly, in our minds, and in our hearts? Be honest with me now…. Peace you can call… but peace you can’t claim. We need the peace of God! It is readily available from the God of Peace and it can only be claimed through the Prince of Peace. This is the kind of peace that exists not in the absence of life’s troubles but amidst life’s troubles. It is not limited within the confines of emotion and reason… rather, it reaches far and beyond the borders of nations, even religions. The peace of God shines brightest amidst the darkness of man.
Proposition:
There are days or moments in a person’s life that can be labeled “the darkest valleys”, when a chance for peace is extremely remote. I can cite some:
1. When Your Dreams are Unfulfilled.
2. When Your Situations are Unpleasant.
3. When Your Future is Uncertain.
It is during these darkest moments of our life that we need God’s peace the most. Give peace a chance!
1. When Your Dreams are Unfulfilled!
v.32 … you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will LEAVE ME all alone.
The disciples’ common dream was to be with each other always under the visible leadership of their eloquent master – the Lord Jesus. With this man Jesus, who is evidently a prophet from God, everything is in proper place. Jesus, son of a carpenter, had all the answers to peaceful, though simple, life – food, healing, humane rules for daily living, name it, Jesus has it. They wanted to escape the oppressive dominion of the Roman empire.
We all have dreams but not all of us had his or her dreams fulfilled. There are a thousand causes to that but I can generalize and come up to only two categories.
a. There are Frustrations that the World Caused.
Daily we see on our television screens scenes of natural calamity, accidents, even global economic recession, and the like. There are events in our lives that are out of our control. And when they occur, there is nothing we can say or do. These leave us with our dreams unfulfilled, and open up the door of our hearts and minds for fear and worry to creep in. During these moments, my friend, give peace a chance.
b. There are Failures that We Created.
Also, we see celebrities in the limelight. The rich, the famous, and most envied and honored. National leaders, highly respected lawmakers, leaders of mega churches and religious groups and other social organizations crumble to the dumps on the ground of self-induced failures. Sometimes, the main reason started from a petty curiosity that became a foothold of carnality, which eventually led to a disappointing catastrophe. Man-made failures. They punch a hole into our reputation and diffuse a well-guarded peace in our minds and hearts. Then guilt and depression creep in. Even in these times, my friend, give peace a chance.
Illustration:
Benigno Aquino Jr., a Philippine senator who was exiled in the US, had a dream – to topple the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos, the strongman of Asia. Many Filipinos had the same dream and they believe that “Ninoy”, as the senator was nicknamed, is the political figure that will transport them to the fulfillment of that dream. In August 21, 1983, Ninoy arrived in Manila airport with that dream. Many Filipinos who shared the same dream were in the arrival area with their welcome banners flung and cardboard placards hoisted. The senator was all smiles inside the plane with all the other passengers cheering. Then three uniformed men boarded the plane and escorted Ninoy out of the plane, not through the passage tube, but down the stairs to the tarmac. Few shots were heard from inside the plane, and Ninoy was on the tarmac motionless, lifeless. But on that unfulfilled dream, his widowed wife, Corazon Aquino, took the stand to continue her late husband’s dream. On a snap presidential election, she filed her candidacy, at the support of her husband’s allies, and challenged then president Ferdinand Marcos. The election was allegedly or proven to be wrought with fraud and cheating. And with the help of “People Power”, Corazon Aquino became the first woman president of the country – an icon of democracy. On her thrust for national reconciliation, she says, “Reconciliation should be accompanied by justice, otherwise it will not last. While we all hope for PEACE it shouldn't be PEACE at any cost but PEACE based on principle, on justice.”
Peace Calls us to be Careful in the Darkness of Unfulfilled Dreams! Give peace a chance!
2. When Your Situations are Unpleasant!
v.33 …In this world you will have TROUBLE.
Did you ever hear any preacher eloquently proclaim, and forcefully claim, that having the Lord Jesus in our heart is some sort of a lucky charm that guarantees pleasant life? If you did, that preacher is a hoax. Don’t ever think that being saved by God’s grace, in Christ, is a life full free of troubles – on the contrary, it is full of troubles. I’ll say it straightforward! There are two categories of reasons to our troubles. But even in these darkest times of troubles, give peace a chance!
a. Troubles Because of the Wrong Choices that we Make
The words of Jesus were self-explanatory, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Mat 6:33. But we often do it the opposite… “Seek first ALL THESE THINGS, for those include the kingdom of God.” We are positioned in a place of decisions, every minute of the day – as we wake up in the morning, dress up for work or play. It is always a choice between Self-Gratification versus the Savior’s Glory.
b. Troubles Because of the Worldly Cares that we Chase
Jesus said, “No-one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Mat 6:24. Most of the times our motivation for wrong choices is worldly cares. Many people are chasing a rainbow’s for that legendary “pot of gold”. It is clearly a matter of Temporal Prosperity or Eternal Destiny.
Illustration:
A rich old man who owned vast estates wrote his last will and testament. He had a thug grandson living in Manila to whom he left a small fortune, a farm somewhere in the southern Philippines... and the young man had the privilege to make a choice. He chose a farm not too far from a bustling city, where nightclubs and casinos are famous. A week after he signed the document of acceptance, a fierce fight between the rebels and the military erupted. But he still had to go possess and occupy his inheritance. Upon arrival at the farm, the farm’s caretaker showed another written condition – he has to choose between a coffee and sugar plantation. He chose the coffee, for he thought sugar plantation entails hard work and more time, thinking he will miss the nightclubs and casinos if he were to choose the sugar-land. Harvest time came. The price of coffee dropped disappointing but the price of sugar rose surprisingly. He was bankrupt. His only hope of saving his loose-case life was to sell his inherited property, which he did at a rush deal. With his leftover funds safely deposited in the bank, he quickly packed his belongings and lurched to buy his ticket back to Manila. There are two ships sailing the following day – SuperFerry No. 9 and SuperFerry No. 14 - at the same fare. He chose SuperFerry No. 9 superstitiously, and after knowing that the bar and casino are more classy. Tragically, SuperFerry No. 9 sank. Our troubles are sometimes, if not most of the times, caused by our wrong choices and worldly cares.
Peace Challenges us to be Faithful in the Daylight of Unpleasant Situations! Give peace a chance!
3. When Your Future is Uncertain!
v.33 … But take HEART! I have overcome the world.
Jesus stressed to the disciples’ that their dream of staying together out of the reach of the oppressive Roman Empire would fail. He implicitly mentioned, when He encouraged them to be of good cheer, that their future would only be secure in Him. There is a saying, “We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow.” When we don’t have a hint about what lies ahead, there could be two possibilities:
a. We might Doubt that something Good will happen
Often we got stuck in the sinkhole of Lack of Faith. Lack of faith confines a believer in mediocrity and unfruitfulness. This is one of the main setbacks of the Lord’s chosen twelve. They always see things with their naked eyes; calculate solutions with their own reasoning. We do too, most of the times, try to solve our problems our own way, self-devised strategy; and in the end find that it only turn bad situations to worse.
b. We might Dread that something Bad will happen
This is worse than the former. Not only a mark of lack of faith but clear sign of loss of confidence. We sometimes think that we are not only helpless but hopeless. Consequently, we wallow in crushing defeat, thinking that God called us distinctively to carry the weight of the world. Spirituality doesn’t breed misery.
Illustration:
A story is told about a King in Africa who had a close friend who he grew up with. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) by remarking, “This is good, God Almighty knows best”
One day the King and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the King. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the King fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, “This is good! God Almighty knows best.” To which the King replied, “No, this is NOT good!” and ordered his soldiers to put his friend into jail.
Over a year later, the King was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured the King and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some firewood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the firewood, they noticed that the King was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So after untying the King, they chased him out of the village.
When the King reached his Palace, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. “You were right” the King said, “It was good that my thumb was blown off.” And he proceeded to tell his friend all that had just happened. “I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was very bad for me to do this.” “No,” his friend replied, “this is good…God Almighty knows best” “What do you mean, ‘this is good’! How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for over a year?” The King’s friend replied: “Remember that the Almighty knows best and if I had not been in jail, I would have been with you on that hunting trip. And you know, I’m whole”
Peace Causes us to be Hopeful in the Dawn of Uncertain Future! Give peace a chance!
Conclusion:
"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
