PEACE “Because of the tender mercy of our God, . . .”
Yesterday, I enjoyed the most-peaceful drive back to campus from the airport.
- The sky was grey.
- The rain splattered on my windshield.
- The traffic was heavy leaving the city.
- The squeaky sound emitting from my vehicle persisted.
PEACE remained within me.
“Because of the tender mercy of our God,
(The Gospel of Luke 1: 78-79 NASB)
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS
AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
These lyrics are the last ones Zacharias sang within his prophecy the Holy Spirit gave to him. Zacharias had just received a son—John. This same John was foretold to the priest Zacharias in the same day when Herod was king of Judea. Zacharias had been married to Elizabeth for a long time, and then one day, an ordinary day, one when he was going about his normal priestly duties, Gabriel (the angel of the LORD) appeared to him.
Gabriel was clear in the message proclaimed:
“You will have joy and gladness,
(The Gospel of Luke 1: 14-17 NASB)
and many will rejoice at his birth.
For he will be great in the sight of the Lord;
and he will drink no wine or liquor,
and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.
And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.
It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah,
TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN,
and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous,
so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
We know the rest of the story—
Zacharias asked the angel how this was even possible?
Gabriel gave him the only answer possible:
“I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God,
(The Gospel of Luke 1: 19b NASB)
and I have been sent to speak to you
and to bring you this good news.”
Then the LORD caused Zacharias to be mute until the day of his son John’s birth.
Zacharias finally left the temple, & the people saw his muteness as he made gestures with his hands. They surmised Zacharias had seen a vision while he was inside the temple.
- Elizabeth, his wife, becomes pregnant.
- Six months later, her young cousin, Mary, a virgin engaged to the man Joseph, comes to visit.
“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
(The Gospel of Luke 1: 41 NASB)
the baby [John] leaped in her womb;
and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”
- PEACE is not wishful thinking.
- PEACE cannot come from within, from a person’s emotions.
- PEACE does not exist only in the presence of perfect days.
- PEACE exists within a person—even when a storm rages overhead.
- PEACE persists within a person—even when traffic is heavy, schedules are full, life is busy, time is short, & life-struggles continue.
PEACE—comes ONLY because of what Jesus did on the cross and in the grave—REMAINS!
The LORD had caused Zacharias to be mute until the day of his son John’s birth, and then Zacharias’ first words spoken were a song “in Praise of God.”
“And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God.”
(The Gospel of Luke 1: 64 NASB)
- God uses ordinary people and common, every-day events for His purposes.
- God will fulfill His perfect plan.
- God is always doing 10,000+ things within our lives &
- We may only be aware of three things.
Humanity’s sin has broken our PEACE with God.
When we stay in our sin, we war & destroy PEACE.
We must all realize—
- GOD’S PEACE is a gift to be received.
- GOD’S PEACE is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
- GOD’S PEACE is cultivated from the harvest of the LORD.
- True PEACE comes ONLY from the LORD!
- True PEACE comes ONLY from what JESUS did!
We must have faith, even when common sense says otherwise.
- We can rest in inner-calm.
- We can walk in God’s Shalom.
- We can live in wholeness.
- We can flourish as God intends.
- We can follow the Light of PEACE!
We can, just as Zacharias, sing a song “in Praise of God.”
“Because of the tender mercy of our God,
(The Gospel of Luke 1: 78-79 NASB)
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS
AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”