I remember years ago there was a common bumper sticker that read, “Imagine World Peace.” Often this was found with vehicles belonging to what many of us at the time would have called hippies. That was the name given to those living in society who did not appreciate rules and standards. They openly rejected those rules and somehow thought their rejection would bring them peace. Certainly, the idea of peace should be of profound interest to everyone. Most people think of peace as the absence of opposition or anything that invades personal space. Some think of it as simply being in a quiet place. Christians think in terms of peace as being content in the Lord regardless of their circumstances. It is this peace that overrides all other desires for peace. If we can have peace within us, we can have peace regardless of what is taking place around us.

In Isaiah we are given a contrast between those trusting in God and those who remain in their wickedness. For those who trust God, it is “Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near” (Isaiah 57:19). It does not matter where they are, or even what their circumstances are. Isaiah describes this peace as a type of healing. However, He goes on to say, “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up refuse and mud. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked” (Isaiah 57:20–21).  This is such a powerful picture of the need of mankind. Anyone visiting the ocean knows how it relentlessly brings its waves. God says through Isaiah that the heart of the wicked is just like that. It can never rest. It can never have true peace. Peace is a commodity so valuable; it is therefore not surprising to find it repeatedly sought, used, and counterfeited. False teachers proclaim peace when God is proclaiming judgment (Ezekiel 13:10-16). There are many constant forms of promised peace. Salespeople use it for personal gain, and politicians use it to manipulate others. Deceitful men speak words of peace while secretly planning evil (Obadiah 1:7).

Thankfully, by contrast God promises true peace in the form of inner healing resulting in the cessation of continuous inner turmoil. The Bible speaks of a true peace as having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Christ was announced by the angels as the One who would bring, “Peace on earth and good will to man” (Luke 2:14).  It is no wonder that He was also fore announced as, “The Prince of Peace” in Isaiah 9:6. He is called, “the Lord of Peace” in 2 Thess. 3:16. True peace within the heart, or the healing of which Isaiah spoke can only come exclusively by relationship with Christ. It is God’s grace to all people who truly trust in Him. They will be the recipients of God’s work of peace (Isaiah 45:7; Leviticus 26:6; John 14:27). God exclusively through Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit can bring this peace. All other so-called peace will not effectively change the heart condition. It must be the work of the living and true God.

Why is it that people cannot of themselves find the kind of inner peace spoken of here? The great treatise on the condition of mankind given by Paul is the answer. He speaks of mankind’s condition; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known” (Romans 3:14-17). We know from this that no amount of self-reform, education, or personal effort will change or heal our personal turmoil. Only God can change the heart of stone into a heart receptive to His true peace.  The world in general will continue to have wars, and people individually will have interpersonal conflicts until Christ comes to establish true, lasting peace in His coming kingdom (Isaiah 11:1-10). Then we will have true peace on the inside and the outside. But those who know their God by saving faith will have His peace inside even today amidst the turmoil of the world. 

Christ took the chastisement of our peace upon Himself (Isaiah 53:5), and by this has granted us peace with our sovereign God. This is why we can call upon Him and He hears us. His peace rules in our hearts and minds. Paul had peace even while he was imprisoned. Each day I get up in our troubled world and see new overwhelming problems. Regardless, I know it is all okay, because God is on the throne, and He has given me a peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7). David said it in Psalm 23, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.” My favorite hymn is, “It is Well with My Soul.” It begins by addressing peace against the most intense sorrows, and how can peace rule in such a situation? He says, “It is well with my soul!” That does not mean we like or enjoy the turmoil around us, but we know who we are in Christ and where we are going. Therefore, we can sleep well at night resting in Him!  As they say in Israel, shalom!