Turn on the news any day of the week, and it doesn't take long to realize that the world is searching for peace.
Wars, political unrest, economic uncertainty, and conflict seem to touch every corner of the globe. Jerusalem, in particular, has remained at the center of world attention for thousands of years. The psalmist wrote:
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem..." (Psalm 122:6)
Yet the prophet Zechariah looked ahead to a time when Jerusalem would become "a burdensome stone for all people" (Zechariah 12:3). The city that represents God's promises will also become the focal point of worldwide conflict before God's plan for the end reaches its fulfillment.
As believers, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem because God has not forgotten His promises.
But while we wait for that future day, there is another peace available today.
Paul wrote to believers:
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6–7)
Notice what Paul does not say. He does not promise that the world will become peaceful. He does not promise that governments will solve man kind's problems or that every conflict will end during this present age.
Instead, he points believers to something the world cannot manufacture—the peace of God.
The headlines may bring anxiety, but God's peace guards the believer's heart.
The future peace of Jerusalem belongs to God's hands
The present peace of the believer belongs to God's grace.
Those are not contradictory truths. They are truths for different times.
One day, the Prince of Peace will reign, and Jerusalem will know lasting peace under her rightful King.
Until that day, believers can experience the peace of God in the midst of a restless world.
The world may be filled with turmoil, but our hearts do not have to be.
Perhaps that's why Paul wrote from prison, not from a palace, when he spoke of the peace of God. His circumstances were anything but peaceful, yet his confidence rested in Christ rather than in the condition of the world.
As you watch the events around you unfold, remember this: while the world longs for peace, the believer already knows the One who gives it.
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