The Gift of Peace

It will be 63 years ago this coming August that the Allies dropped the first Atomic Bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The pilot of the B-29 bomber who delivered the Atomic Bomb, Lt. Col. Paul Tibbets, recalls, “A bright light filled the plane…We turned back to look at Hiroshima. The city was hidden by the awful cloud…boiling up, mushrooming.” When seeing the awful sight, the co-pilot, Robert Lewis, simply wrote in his journal, “My God, what have we done?” Of course, it was hoped that the decision to drop the bomb would save lives – both Allied and Japanese – by bringing a quick end to the war. Dropping the bomb was seen as a way of creating lasting peace throughout the world. And yet, in the 63 years since the bomb was dropped, peace has eluded us – even right up to our day. Today we have many different “wars” raging all over the planet.

We have: The War on Terrorism; The War on Drugs; The War on Poverty; The War on Pollution; The War on Climate Change; The War on Disease; The War on Famine

With so many wars raging across our world, one must seriously ask, “Where is there peace?” In many ways, war and peace in our world are merely an extension of what is happening on the inside of the individual. This is why Jesus addresses the issue head on by saying, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give” (John 14:27, NLT). It is important for us to see that the peace Jesus is talking about begins on the inside of a person. As Jean Vanier has written, “True peace can rarely be imposed from the outside; it must be born within.” There are two aspects to this peace that are important for us to embrace:

1. Peace with God - Such peace is “rooted in one’s relationship with God” (Lawrence Richards). Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the way back to God has been made available to us.

2. Peace with Ourselves - Here we find that the presence of God brings an “inner harmony” that creates wholeness and freedom from fear and anxiety.

Both of these lead to peace with others and the possibility of peace in humanity at large. In conclusion, consider how the peace and presence of God made such a difference in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. who was assassinated 40 years ago this month. In was in the early days of his campaign for civil rights that Dr. King received a late night telephone call from an angry man who said:

“Listen…we’ve taken all we want from you; before next week you’ll be sorry you ever came to Montgomery.”

Filled with despair, Dr. King got out of bed and went to the kitchen table where he sat with his head in his hands. As he sat at the table he prayed:

“Lord, I’m down here trying to do what’s right. I think I’m right. I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now, I’m faltering. I’m losing my courage. Now, I am afraid…I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.”

It was at the moment Dr. King finished praying that he heard the Lord say, “Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And lo, I will be with you.” As a result, Dr. King said he experienced the presence of God like never before – the peace of God – where he says “at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.”