A Peaceful Timeline
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27, NIV
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”- John 16:33, NIV
All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. -Hebrews 11:13-16, NLT
My sixth grader recently was given the assignment to create a timeline for school. The dates on it were to have both the year in our current calendar system and the year relative to his life. Often times, I am cheated out of the peace I should have because I forget the timeline of Redemption’s Story relative to my personal timeline. Here’s what I mean, not that I confuse the time when the prophets were alive (though that can be a problem in an Old Testament Survey class). I mean I forget that our part in this story is the ‘already not yet’ part. Here’s the significance of that in terms of peace: we have peace now because of what Jesus did in His death and resurrection. So our present peace rests on what Jesus has accomplished. But, our peace is not fully realized because, Jesus’ work is not fully actualized, yet. This is the angst of Advent. We long for peace to fully come in Jesus but it does not fully come until Jesus arrives again. This is why it ought not discourage us that ‘peace in our time’ feels out of reach. It is. We haven’t reached the point in the timeline where peace is complete. For lasting and final peace to come necessitates that the Prince of Peace returns to establish His final rule and reign. Does this excuse our unrest, anxiety, or fractured relationships with God or others? No. If Jesus is ruling my life, I should live out of His peace. A peace that is beyond understanding (see Phil. 4:6-7). His peace should create tranquility in my life as I submit more and more to Him. His peace should cultivate tranquility in my interpersonal relationships as I interact with others in loving and unity creating ways. His peace should quiet any discord with God even as I understand more and more His redemptive work in recreating me. By God’s grace these are all growing realities in your life. But when the opposite of peace invades our lives, when incompleteness and brokenness and discord and unrest and war intrude, it is then that we must call to mind Redemption’s timeline. Our peace rests in Jesus, what He’s done (past), what He’s doing (present), and fully and finally in what He will do (future). Remember the timeline and let it teach you the endurance of those who’ve been given peace in a world that is full of trouble. Remember the timeline especially when the effects of the curse reach into your life. Even as we experience the dysfunction of our bodies, our souls, and our relationships with God and others, remember, the best is yet to be. Let the timeline of peace soothe your war wearied soul.
Blog Bonus: Picture style
Mary Consoles Eve is a work by Sr. Grace Remington. I love the layers of meaning in it. It speaks volumes about timeline and a coming peace. Enjoy!