The Search for Peace

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The Search for Peace

Micah 4:1-5

“Then they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift a sword against nation, and never again will they train for war.

 

            People are in an endless search for peace.  They believe that if we can elect the right leader, we will no longer have wars, and the money we spend on national defense can be dedicated to helping those in need.  But just when we think peace is coming to the nations, the rumors of wars rear their ugly head.  World War I was described as the war to end all wars, yet the peace that ended the war sowed the seeds that would lead the world into another global conflict.  When World War II ended, people thought that the world could not live in peace, yet once again, the treaties signed by global leaders only set in motion the events that would lead to the Vietnam War and the wars conflicts that affected eastern Europe even to this day.  

            Today we see again see the lingering threats of conflict. First, Russia brings a threat to the world with the invasion of  Ukraine.  With an alliance forming between Russia and China, China threatens war with its desire to reestablish control over Taiwan.  Just when we think humans may have learned the price of war is too steep to pay, nations seize the complacency of world leaders to reestablish their desire for dominance.

            But these lurking tremors of wars should not surprise us.  Christ warns us that war will only increase as we approach the return of Christ.  Christ states in Matthew 24:6-8, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.”  No matter how much humanity may desire peace, there will always be the reality of war, for humanity is marred by sin.  When we look for politicians to provide answers, they will fail, for they, too, are motivated by the lust for power.

            However, there is hope.  In Micah 4, we find the promise of a future day when God will establish his rule upon the earth, and when he does, all wars will cease, and peace will govern the nations.  No longer will there be a need for military weapons.  No longer will there be the need for trained armies.  On this day, God will rule the world and establish justice.  The foundation of this peace is in the fact that God will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths (vs. 2).  Instead of following the wisdom of men, we will follow the wisdom of God. This day will come when Christ returns and sets up his kingdom (See Revelation 20-2).

            The problem today is that we are looking for  peace (both global and personal) in the wrong place.  We are looking to politicians to provide answers.  We look to humanity for moral wisdom to bring inward peace and satisfaction.  However, we are looking in the wrong place.  Peace can only be obtained when we surrender our lives to Christ and allow him to rule in our life.  Only when He returns and establishes His reign will there be genuine and lasting peace?  The answers for life are not in men's wisdom but in God's knowledge and rule.  Only when we seek Him, allowing Him to teach us His ways so that we walk in His paths, will we discover true and lasting peace.

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