Imagine a lighthouse on a rocky outcropping.  All around a storm rages, lightning flashes and thunder roars.  Enormous waves crash against the cliff below the lighthouse, sending wind whipped spray all the way to the top.  It is dark, and loud, and violent.  Not exactly a picture of peace.

 

But, imagine we are able to open the door and enter the lighthouse.  Inside we find the lighthouse keeper seated at a table with a steaming cup of soup in front of him.  He holds a spoon in one hand and a book in the other.  There is a smile on his face as he reads, warmed by the crackling fire in the hearth across the room.  His dog naps on the floor, curled up near a padded chair.  It’s cozy & dry.  Despite the chaos and turmoil outside the lighthouse, inside there is peace.

 

This image illustrates the Biblical idea of peace.  True peace is not the absence of conflict, trouble, or “storms” in life.  True peace allows us to be calm and content, even while the storm rages.  It is the calm assurance of God’s protection, provision & grace.

 

Peace is God’s gift to His children.  It is the third element of the Fruit of the Spirit which we find in Paul’s list from Gal. 5:22-23.  As we look into peace this morning I want to take us to John 14, where Jesus says that He will leave His disciples with peace, even though He is going to be leaving them very soon.  There are two primary things which God’s peace provides us with: 1) God’s Peace Gives Us Comfort; and 2) God’s Peace Gives Us Confidence.

 

God’s peace provides us with the comfort and confidence we need to face life.

 

 

Galatians 5:22

March 16,2025

 

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