Peace in Our Time

There’s a great many blessings of God that are far off. We long for the day when there will be no more pain and no more tears. We long for the time when there will be no more night and the Lord will be the light for His people. We hope beyond hope for the death of death and for the final defeat of evil. We pray for relief from the burdens we carry, the fear of the future, and the worries of tomorrow. We cherish the forgiveness we find in Jesus. We cling to His promise of reconciliation and sanctification. We share the grace and mercy we’ve received with others so they can find in the Lord salvation and hope.

These will come. Some have in part, some will not come until the end. For these we wait in hopeful anticipation at the coming of the Lord on the last day. We know beyond knowing and believe beyond believing in these promises of God. But they are lacking. They are incomplete. They are not yet.

We need something for today. Jesus tells us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” We need something not just in the distant future, but we need hope and assurance now. The beauty of the promises of God is that He doesn’t just give us something for tomorrow, but He gives for us today just what we need.

We know we’ve made mistakes. We know we’ve lived in sin. We know we’ve failed to obey. We know of ways we’ve failed to love. God doesn’t just give us promises for us to wait on, but in the promise of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we can have peace now. Jesus bears our burdens with us not just in the future but today. Peter writes, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). In Hebrews we are reminded, “God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5). These promises come from the word of the Lord in Deuteronomy 31:8, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

And Jesus Himself gives us the assurance, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Mt. 6:26). And Jesus keeps His promises.

So when we find ourselves in need, let us remember to pray. Let us remember the family we have here in our church that loves us and cares for us. When we are worried, let us bring our heart to God for comfort and strength. We have a great many things on our minds that work to bring us down. Our Lord builds us up and keeps us and protects us. He had made us many promises that we look forward to being fulfilled one day. But let us not neglect the blessings He gives us each and every day.