The Peace of God

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body: and be ye thankful”.  Colossians 3:15

I became fretful over this recent election.  It seems as though we will never have a fair and honest election any longer.  We may be in for one-party rule for a long time.  The voices of Christians and conservatives are mostly being ignored, but there are many of us who are very concerned about the direction of our nation.  We are most likely now under God’s judgment.  Why would He continue to bless a nation who kills millions of unborn babies whom God created, who confuses the minds of boy and girls in an attempt to control them and take away parental rights over their own offspring, who forced the closing of churches and many other establishments but left open the bars and marijuana shops during COVID, and who spends taxpayers hard-earned money like drunken sailors.  When those who are guilty of these forms of ungodly behavior are the ones in charge, then where do we go for accountability?  When the fox guards the henhouse, it is for sure that the chickens are in for a rough ride.

I am, to use a football phrase, in the fourth quarter of my life.  I don’t have that much longer in the game.  Hopefully, I am not in the two-minute warning yet, but it’s coming.  Thus, with the Lord’s help, I can deal with the diminishing of our freedoms as long as I stay in God’s word, pray, and put Him first in my life.  However, I worry about my daughter, her family, and the younger generations who will likely have to suffer even further abuse by our leaders.  I call it abuse because when folks aren’t allowed free speech, to express their views and concerns, then they are being treated like second-class citizens.

In my Sunday Bible study, the above verse was among the passage of my focus that day.  “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts”.  This is the only way to overcome the anxiety and dismay over the state of our nation or over anything that troubles us.  It is easy to let offenses, tribulations, sin, arguments, etc., disrupt the peace of God which He so generously provides to all who will give themselves wholeheartedly in following His will, studying His word, and keeping in close communication with Him through prayer.  The peace of God is especially needed in each individual which makes up the body of Christ.  They say that one bad apple spoils the whole barrel.  One who is not allowing God’s peace to rule their heart can disrupt the harmony of the believers in his or her circle of fellow Christians.  The break in fellowship can be contagious.  It is the duty of the believer to put petty differences aside and maintain peace in order to further the kingdom of God.  Paul also reminds us to always be thankful.  We should remember what it was like before Christ came into our lives and acknowledge our gratitude for His sacrifice to give us eternal life and the abundant life on earth.

What about those differences that aren’t petty?  Some of the ungodly policies that are promoted by those in leadership are hurting people.  Fretting and complaining about it doesn’t help, but what can believers do?  We are told to vote, but that doesn’t really seem to make any difference, not any longer.  It appears that those who are controlled by Satan have greatly outnumbered those who follow the Lord.  God did not initiate this pattern, but He can certainly use it to accomplish His plan for mankind.  He has had the advantage since the beginning of time to see that the thoughts of the hearts of men and women were (and still are) only evil continually (Genesis 6:5).  As children of God, we know that evil has always been present on this earth, but it seems that now evil has become so blatant, “in your face”, that it has been difficult to absorb just how bad things have become.  The bad news is that they will continue to deteriorate unless God sends an earthshaking revival.

Before we get more depressed and despondent, there is good news.  God is working behind the scenes and, I think, is up to something big, something to show Himself strong among the inhabitants of earth.  He will have the final word.  Evildoers will be punished.  Unless those ungodly leaders who are leading our nation down the path of destruction repent and place their faith in Christ Jesus, they will meet their doom.  God is fair and just and will not let sin go unpunished.  Besides, the world is not our home.  We have an eternal home where we won’t have to worry about sin, evil, and injustice, but rather spend eternity with Jesus in a place of pure delight.  Even though we have to die to get there, unless we are still alive when He comes for us, we are going to die anyway, so why not die with the sure promise of eternal life?  That knowledge certainly gives the believer the peace of God in his or her heart.