“God is faithful.”

When my best friend and love of my life marched down the aisle at Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia, the entire congregation rose to their feet as the pianist played Great Is Thy Faithfulness.  A good friend had written a special arrangement just for the occasion of our wedding.  Tears ran down my face as Tanya walked toward me arm in arm with her father.  The words of the familiar hymn echoed the goodness of God:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not,
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.[1]

“God is faithful.”[2] 

No matter what you’re going through, God is there.  Eternally unchanging and forever reliable, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.[3]  In moments of celebration, He celebrates with you.[4]  In the midst of the storm, He is a shelter.[5]  When you weep, He dries your tears.[6]  When you are scared, He holds you close.[7]  God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in time of trouble.[8]    

Yet we struggle.  Jesus didn’t promise His followers a life free from difficulty.  In fact, He promised us trouble.  He said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  Even in this trouble filled world, in Christ we have peace.

“God is faithful.”  This is the truth to which we cling in time of trial.  When the winds of testing blow strong, God’s faithfulness is the solid rock upon which we firmly take our stand.  The faithful promise of His presence provides strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.   

In Strength for the Journey, Joseph M. Stowell writes, “Since we rarely know why trouble comes or what God is doing in and through our pain, it is important to have something solid and true to which we can attach our faith.”[9]  When trouble comes, faith holds fast to God’s promises, finds comfort in God’s ways, stands firm upon God’s character. 

In the uncertainty of trial, we may feel as if hanging by a thread, one big wave from being swept away, one strong gust from being caught up into the vortex of the storm.  But faith clings to the hand of God, for faith is a gift from God whereby it is He who clings to us. 

When we can’t seem to get a grip, we can give thanks that we’re held firmly in His grasp.  No one and nothing can remove our hand from His.[10]  No one and nothing can separate us from Him.[11] 

O God, our help in ages past, 
Our hope for years to come, 
Our shelter from the stormy blast, 
And our eternal home.[12]

-----------------------

[1]Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Thomas Obediah Chisholm (1866-1960).
[2] This is the Apostle Paul’s reminder to the church in Corinth.  Paul issued pointed warnings from Israel’s history (God’s judgment upon idolatry and immorality), then he stated, "Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.  Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:11-13).  The word for “temptation” and “tempted” in 1 Corinthians 10:13 is the same word (peirasmós) generally translated “test” in verse 9 (cf. James 1:2, 12).  Depending on the context, the word can refer to trials, tests, and temptations.  God cannot be tempted, but His people can put Him to the test; God does not tempt His people, but He does test them.  The definitions of “tempt” and “test” are different both in source and in nature, but the results of our response to each are much the same.  And in both, God is faithfully present.  His grace is sufficient, for His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). 
[3] Deuteronomy 33:27; Hebrews 13:8.
[4] Luke 15:32.
[5] Isaiah 4:6; 25:4.
[6] Psalm 6:8; 30:5b; Matthew 5:4; Revelation 21:4
[7] Joshua 1:5, 9.
[8] Psalm 46:1
[9] Stowell, Joseph M. Strength for the Journey: Day by Day with Jesus (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 2002), 186.
[10] John 10:28-30.
[11] Romans 8:38-39.
[12] O God Our Help in Ages Past, Isaac Watts (1719). 

“True peace dwells only in the heart of the humble.” - Thomas à Kempis
 
Have you ever labored long and hard over a puzzle, only to discover near completion that you were missing a piece?  The overall picture has come together beautifully, but as you look at the fruit of your labors, your attention is drawn immediately to the one piece of peculiarity.  Its absence screams for your attention.  A puzzle of a thousand pieces can be ruined by one missing piece.
 
So it is with life.  We lead very full lives, yet something is missing.
 
PEACE  
 
Peace.  Say the word out loud.  Seriously, say it.  “Peace.”  Doesn’t it sound good?  Doesn’t it sound refreshing?  Repeat the word in your mind.  Peace.  Doesn’t it feel good?  Doesn’t it feel like exactly what you need?  We could all use a little more peace in our lives, couldn’t we?
 
Even warriors desire peace.  We all desire peace.  We just have a difficult time finding it.  Perhaps we struggle to even define it, but we all know when peace is missing.  We know we need it, but how do we get it?  How can we find the missing peace?  How can we truly experience peace?
 
We tend to think of peace as an absence of conflict.  If we end all wars, put a stop to violence, and keep people from hate, then the peace will be won.  Conflict cessation may be a form of keeping the peace, but don’t we desire more? 
 
SHALOM

The Hebrew Scriptures speak of peace as shalom – a rich word pregnant with meaning.  It can refer to prosperity and success, completeness and intactness, personal welfare and health, deliverance and salvation, and, of course, the absence of conflict and war.  It is healing.  It is wholeness in place of brokenness. It is the one true God picking up the shattered pieces of wrecked humanity and forming out of them something beautiful, something whole.
 
The New Testament speaks of peace as eiréné (i-ray'-nay).  It can refer to peace, harmony, and concord between governments and individuals.  As it corresponds to the Hebrew shalom, it carries forward the ideas of personal wellbeing and welfare.  Most significantly, peace with God refers to a right relationship with God, the hope of eternal life and the assurance of eternal salvation.  The gracious bestowal of peace with God can be personally experienced only through faith in Jesus Christ as sufficient Savior and risen Lord (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Hell cancelled, Heaven guaranteed – that is the confidence of all who have peace with God through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). 
 
Further, the reality of peace with God brings to present experience the shalom of God, whereby the Divine Potter picks up the broken pieces of our lives and makes out of them something useful, something beautiful, something glorious.  “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
 
Therein lies the rub.  Perhaps, like me, you know the confidence of forgiveness and the assurance of salvation.  You’ve experienced moments of peace, but they are fleeting.  As Christians, how can we who know the reality of peace with God experientially enjoy the peace of God?   
 
EXPERIENCING PEACE

We know certain practices lead to peace.  Prayer comes first to mind.  God could not be more unambiguous than He is in Ephesians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Are you anxious?  Pray.  Worried?  Give thanks.  When you do, God promises to replace anxiety with peace.  Like a sentinel keeping watch over sleeping soldiers, God's peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus so that you can rest in Him.
 
Likewise, in the search for peace, the daily practice of forgiveness is a given.  So also is kindness.  “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).  Of course, experiencing peace in our personal relationships does not depend entirely on us.  After all it takes two to get tangled.  That’s why, in one of the most qualified commands in all of Scripture, the Apostle reminds us, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18).
 
This much we know.  But in our quest for peace, we have neglected the one practice, the one attitude that lies at the very heart of our pursuit.  Both the living experience of the peace of God and the daily enjoyment of peace with our fellows hinge upon one thing:  The “Secret” Simplicity of Humility.
 
THE "SECRET" SIMPLICITY OF HUMILITY
 
The ancient fathers of our faith and the devotional writers of the Christian era all attest to a simple secret:  Those who experience peace are those who embrace humility. 

I like to define humility as seeing ourselves as God sees us – nothing more and nothing less.  We are created in God’s image.  We are sinners saved by divine grace.  We are new creations in Christ Jesus.  We are temples of the Holy Spirit.  we are completely dependent upon our Father in Heaven.  That’s why we sing, “I need Thee every hour,” and “Prone to wander – Lord, I feel it.”  Humility is a sober self-assessment.  It is seeing ourselves as God sees us, but there is more.
 
Jesus is the ultimate example of humility.  The humiliation of the cross and the exaltation of the crown set the pattern for every Christ-follower (Philippians 2:5-11).  He who was rich for our sake became poor, so that we by His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).  Humility is doing nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  It is prioritizing others above ourselves.  It is considering not only our own interests, but also the interests of others.  It is possessing the attitude of Christ (Philippians 2:1-5). 
 
If humility is the secret of peace, then pride is the thief.  In his inspiring devotional masterpiece The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis writes, “True peace dwells only in the heart of the humble; but the heart of the proud is ever full of pride and jealousy.”[1] 
 
Pride keeps us from prayer.  Pride keeps us from seeking forgiveness from those we have hurt.  It prevents us from offering forgiveness to those who have harmed us.  It is pride that keeps us awake with memories of unfair attacks, unjust words, and thoughts of “If I had only said this or if only I had done that.”  The truly humble do not concern themselves with being misheard, misunderstood or misrepresented. 
 
Slights and tones and sideways glances and dirty looks stick to the heart of pride.  They slide right off the humble.  The humble heart heeds neither disparaging remark nor unjust evaluation. 

Pride plans revenge.  Humility moves along.  The humble leave vengeance in the hands of the Gracious Avenger, confident that He will repay, thankful that He is merciful and forgiving.  The humble respond to attacks by praying for repentance and offering forgiveness.  They offer the benefit of the doubt, refusing to judge motives, remembering, “There - but by the grace of God - go I.”   This is the secret simplicity of humility – the key to discovering the missing peace.
 
The proverb rightly asserts, “A man's riches may ransom his life, but a poor man hears no threat” (Proverbs 13:8).  Like the pursuit of riches, pride brings complex rewards.  Humility, like contentment, brings the reward of simplicity.  The humble are the poor in spirit.  They possess the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3).  They know the peace of God.
 
"Do not trust in your own knowledge, nor in the cleverness of any man living, but rather in the grace of God, who aids the humble, and humbles the proud.  Do not boast in your possessions, if you have any, nor of the influence of your friends; but glory in God, who gives all things and desires above all things to give you Himself… Remain humble.  It does you no harm when you esteem all others better than yourself, but it does you great harm when you esteem yourself above others."[2]
 
True peace dwells only in the heart of the humble.  This is the “secret” simplicity of humility. 


[1] A Kempis, Thomas; translated by Leo Sherley-Price (New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1952), 35. 

[2] Ibid., 34, 35.