“For He Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14).
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Exodus 21:22-23:13
Matthew 24:1-28
Psalm 29:1-11
Proverbs 7:6-23
I was sitting one day in our living room on the couch that faced the front window. Except for the cat, who was sleeping on top of the TV next to that window, I was alone. Outside, a storm was gathering, and the sky had taken on that ominous shade of gray that I love so much. I was looking at that sky when a thunder ball hit the ground just outside the window. Maybe “thunder ball” isn’t the technical term, but it’s the term I think of when I remember what I saw: a gigantic white globe that exploded on contact, rattling the windows and sending a shiver down my back.
That was the day I learned that cats could fly. Ours launched herself from the top of the TV instantaneously, landed behind the couch, and kept herself there the rest of the afternoon.
That display of God’s power took my breath away. I was reminded all over again of what the psalmist wrote in today’s passage:
“The God of glory thunders …
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon…
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness …And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”
Today, my thoughts centered on the last line of Psalm 29: “The Lord will bless His people with peace.” It’s interesting to me that David prefaced that statement with all those comments about God’s majestic power. When I think of peace, my first thought is not of thunder.
And yet, perhaps we’re supposed to look at that impressive list and think, If He can control thunder and shake the cedars of Lebanon and strip the forest bare with just His voice, then how hard could it be for Him to speak peace into my life?
I think we forget that, especially when we’re in the midst of something turbulent and painful. I’ve had those hopeless thoughts when a relationship has run into difficulties, and I wonder, Can this really be fixed? But I’ve been given the gift of that inexplicable peace in those very same situations. All it takes is looking up for a split second, and remembering the One who sits on the throne — the One who has the power to bring matter into being, and calm hearts, and bring reconciliation where mending seems impossible.
God is the source of peace — for all the little things that furrow our brow, and all the big things that keep us up at night. We just have to ask.
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