Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27

 

“Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace…” prayed St. Francis of Assisi long ago.  How better to begin a day than by saying, “Lord, make me an instrument of peace today.”  One of the interesting things about prayer is that very often the Almighty answers prayer by using those who pray to bring about the very answer they seek.  Instead of sending an angelic being to the conference table, he prompts men to soften and negotiate and thus brings peace.

Instead of a bolt of lightning from heaven, God allows His spirit to speak to your hearts, and you lay down your verbal weapons and make peace.  Whenever you pray for something, you must also realize that God may use you to help answer your own prayer.  Peace is not God’s changing your mate or your business partner.  Peace is God’s speaking to your heart so you are willing to concede your right to be heard.  Peace is two talking together.  Peace is two praying together.  It is God on both sides of a discussion.  Peace is open-mindedness.  Peace is patience.  It means keeping your temper as we listen to the other side of a discussion.

“Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.”  Winifred Peterson said, “Peace is having the courage and humility to admit mistakes and to take the blame when we are wrong.  It is tact.  Tact has been defined as the ability to pull the stinger of a bee without getting stung.  It is vision.  It is taking the long look.  It is being willing to give up individual advantages for the common good.  It is straight thinking.  It is recognizing that iron curtains are not metal, but mental, and that they are woven of fear, prejudice and mistrust.  It is a quality of the heart as well as the head.  It is a warmth, an enthusiasm, a magnetism that reaches out and draws people together in understanding and love.”

In the week of the Passover–His last one on earth–Jesus turned to His disciples and said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). An acquaintance of mine is a businessman whose partner defrauded him of a large sum of money.  The partner denied the wrongdoing, yet the book didn’t lie.  So two men parted ways, and bitterness filled the heart of the man who had been cheated.  Finally, God began speaking to him and impressed upon him that he was to go to the man who had been his partner and ask his forgiveness.  He argued, “Not me, God.  He is the one who ought to be asking forgiveness!  He is the one who stole from me.”  But the anger and bitterness wouldn’t go away.

Finally, he met the business partner in a hotel lobby and immediately went over to him and said, “I have to ask your forgiveness for the way I have felt towards you.  I know it was wrong.  Forgive me!”  And what happened?  The man who had defrauded his partner burst into tears, and the two threw their arms around each other in forgiveness.  What is more, restitution came out of that confrontation.  A man who was willing to be an instrument of God’s peace not only found peace in his heart, but the blessing of God financially as well.

Have you been an instrument of God’s peace, or rather have you been the cause of hard feelings, bitterness, and perhaps even hatred?  How about getting down to specifics and asking God to give you the grace to reach out to your brother?   And when you do, you will have become an instrument of peace.

Resource reading: John 16.