To Encourage You

2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

One of the types of evidence that the Bible is the very Word of God is the way in which it says so much with such an economy of words.  In the verse above, the Holy Spirit speaks through Paul to every Christian who as ever lived, including all that are alive at this moment.  In two short sentences He tells us that God’s desire for us is that we have peace, and He also tells us how we may have it. 

First, he tells us the source of peace.  It’s from God Himself who is called by the name “The Lord of Peace.”  In other places God the Son is called “the Prince of Peace (and) Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7). In other words, when He is in control, when He is the One truly ruling as the Prince of a life, a family, a church, or a nation, a sign of that rule is peace within that entity.  It is in submission to Him that we find peace.  But as we fight against His sovereignty, when we want to control our own lives, when we won’t believe Him and let Him have His way with us, when we disobey Him in any way, the inevitable result is a loss of peace. 

But then another thing that the verse above tells us is that it is the Lord Who alone can give us peace.  In other words, God’s peace is a gift.  It’s not something you earn. It’s not something we get by trying to gin it up by our own willpower and mind control. It is simply a wonderful gift that God bestows on those whom He loves.  As Jesus told us “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). 

You see, Jesus gives us His very Spirit to abide within us when we put our faith in Him. One of the facets of the fruit of the Spirit is peace (Galatians 5:22-23).  The only way we will ever have God’s peace is to have His very Spirit, but that Spirit is given only to those who believe. 

But then, referring again to the verse above, we find the nature of this peace.  It’s a peace that is available to us “at all times.” It’s a peace that Paul professed with these words: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13).   It’s a peace that Peter and Silas demonstrated in prison as they prayed and sang hymns to God while the other prisoners listened (Acts 16:25).  And it’s a peace that Jesus demonstrated by sleeping soundly in the midst of a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee, and then by calming the storm with these words: “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:39)! 

You see, the peace of God is not dependent upon our circumstances.  As such, its supernatural nature is evident for this peace is definitely “not as the world gives.” 

Then, there’s at least one more thing the short verse above tells us, and that is that God has the ability to send His peace to us in many ways.  As the Spirit works in and through our lives and the lives of others around us who know the Lord, one of the ways peace comes to us is by way of the Scriptures.  When we trust the promises God has given us, and as the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the wondrous things in God’s Word, what peace it can bring to our soul! Sometimes that peace comes as we simply read and study the Word. Sometimes it comes by way of prayer as God brings to our mind, seemingly “out of the clear blue sky” a Scripture that is perfectly suited to the situation we are facing at that moment.  Such is the promise God has given us in the following verses that reiterate the blessing that comes to those whose God is the Lord: “The Lord is at hand; 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” (Philippians 4:6-7). 

Another way that God may give us His peace is by way of the encouragement of a friend.  We can be so forgetful of the things God has promised, and sometimes it takes a friend to bring those things to mind.  Or, at times, God’s peace may simply come as we see the hand of God at work in our circumstances sovereignly demonstrating that “for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). 

What rich truth God has given us in just a few words about His peace.  But it is all rooted in this simple question: “Who is my Lord?”  The answer to that question is at the root of God’s peace, for peace is simply a wonderful consequence of whether we submit ourselves to the rule of the awesome Prince of Peace.