What Is True Peace?

Zambia has recently had its elections and a lot of people celebrated the emerging of the new era. Many have confidence that it will provide what they need and want, e.g. the fight against corruption and stability (peace). This reminds me of the time when the Israelites wanted to have their own king like the surrounding nations. With God's mercy, He gave them a king (Saul) who imposed the costs of a kingdom on the people as God had promised the human king would do. This signifies that only God can bring stability in human affairs of the kingdoms of men.

We all know how crafty some of the rulers of the world can be, forgetting that it is God who puts men in the ranks they hold (Dan 4:17). Since God has the upper hand in human affairs, He alone is the granter of peace. This He has demonstrated in sending His much-loved son as a peace offering for those who want to live in God's kingdom. Paul exhorts on this peace that we (you and me) are given once we realise the wrongs we have committed in our past life (because of the sin that we are prone to), through repentance once we have realised our errors. In our new life in Christ, Jesus will give us this peace, true peace to reign in our hearts (Col 3:15).

So, in conclusion, in the kingdoms of men people promise peace, but things work the other way round. Violence, fights, crime, etc become the rules of the day. This means that there is no true peace, but God has shown how we can attain that peace through being identified with Jesus Christ. It is through his blood that we (people who have agreed with him) are able to have a clear conscience. Thus, as we baptised brothers and sisters, break the bread and drink the wine they remind us of the peace which was made possible by Christ's death on the cross (Isa 53:5).

Bro Musanda (Mufulira, Zambia)