A Life Without Peace

A Life Without Peace

He didn't have much time. In fact, that's why I was there. He was dying and I had come to talk to him. He had called, asking me to come, and now he was going to let me know how he felt about things.

"You're here to plan the funeral, aren't you?"

He was 90 and he was not looking forward to this. Some people fight death and some embrace it. It really depends on your view of life. Like so many others, he had spent all of his years selfishly living however he wanted, doing his own thing and pleasing nobody but himself. He made no effort to know God or please Him. He had no peace when I sat with him.

It’s a tough story to tell. How does one face death without that peace? Have I used my time to become a friend of God? Will I embrace Him or will I go with a clenched fist, shaking it towards heaven? I’ve seen both.

The man before me was a fist shaker. I asked him if he had a favorite Bible verse. He said, "What's the shortest verse in the Bible? That's the one."

The irony is that there is so much comfort in that verse, John 11:35. It’s a simple message of peace from a holy God to every soul in need of comfort:

“Jesus wept."

That’s right, the Prince of Peace wept. Almighty God grieved over a friend. How pure. How simple. How comforting to know that He shares our pain and grief in life's difficult moments.

The man before me never softened. We prayed, I reminisced with him and we buried him a week later.

His family came together, needing peace and comfort. God's Word does that, even if it's just two words that tell about God’s love for us.

Looking for peace today? Might I suggest that you open your Bible? God’s peace is right there in front of you. You just have to read it. It gives us strength to face life and death with hope and peace rather than fear and dread. That’s what the peace of God is all about.

Psalms 27:4-5

"One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord ... For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle..."