Peace like a river
Were you counting on the new year to turn things around?
We all sat around on December 31, ready to say good-bye to a year that tried us in ways we did not think possible. With a collective exhale, we celebrated the dawning of a new year, filled with hope and relieved to have survived. But, we do not seem to have come as far as we had hoped. Our world is still in turmoil. There is unrest and venom being spewed as much as it was just a few short weeks ago. How quickly we forget how we want things to change. Why are we such a forgetful people? We can flip the calendar and celebrate a new year as much as we would like, but unless we make some changes, we will remain in the places we long to leave.
We are a people without honor
I long for peace, for a time when people can have differing opinions and wonderful conversations. Do you miss entering a restaurant, seeing smiles on the faces, and greeting one another with warm embraces? And what of a time when the media was not so blatantly swayed one way or another? Surely there was a time news, and not opinions, were reported. Do you remember when respect was given to those in positions of authority, regardless of whether we believed in their policies? We are a people without honor, and we are a people without peace.
Can we find peace, even now?
In the 1800s, Horatio Spafford penned the words to It Is Well With My Soul. It was after multiple traumatic events he wrote these powerful words. He endured the death of his children, the Great Chicago Fire, the loss of his business, and yet he writes, “It is well.” He and his wife are grieving, and yet he declares, “It is well.” Really Spafford? Are things well? Have you lost your mind?
Just last week, I flew into a a crazy rage after a situation that left me feeling betrayed on many levels. My situation is nothing compared to loss of job and all of one’s children, but I can assure you I was not singing along with Spafford. Did he have an understanding I do not? Was he more anointed than me? According to one account I read, it was merely unwavering faith that led Spafford to write a now famous hymn. It is in that place of unwavering faith where peace lies. We often forget eternity awaits before us. He has overcome the world, and in him we find our peace. When everything feels lost and broken, when we are left wondering what is next, peace comes like a river.
Prayer
Rather than writing a prayer, I think it is best to leave you with the words Spafford wrote. May we learn to sing these words in all circumstances.
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