Peacemaker or peace lover?

“Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”

Are you a peace maker or a peace lover? Perhaps you are wondering, “What’s the difference?” A “peacemaker” is someone who works for peace, even when it is unpopular and costly. On the other hand, a “peace lover” is someone who wants, “peace at any price”. Peacemakers look beyond the presenting conflict. They want to know what is causing the war or fight. They are looking for ways to achieve lasting friendship and harmony. Often, this involves addressing issues of injustice and oppression.

In contrast, peace lovers don’t like confrontation. They don’t want to address awkward or difficult issues. They especially don’t like feeling uncomfortable or challenging others. The risk for them in pursuing real peace is that it might be costly. They might even get involved with people and feel their pain. They may get hurt in the process of seeking lasting solutions. They prefer to cover over problems and hope that they will go away.

James describes “peacemakers” as being like farmers who are sowing seed for a harvest. This requires time and patience. But the outcome is a “harvest of righteousness”. This describes a life of peace and justice for both individuals and society. The Hebrew word for this is “shalom”. It is more than the absence of conflict. It is a deep seated connection and harmony between people, the creation and the Creator. The prophet Isaiah describes it as a setting in which, “the wolf and the lamb will feed together” (Isaiah 65:25)

Being a peacemaker involves addressing the root causes of conflict in our own lives and in society. James asks the question:

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:1-3)

“I want what I want and I don’t care what you want!” is at the heart of our fighting and killing. Recently, I read a newspaper report of a man convicted of murdering his parents. He was quoted as saying that he didn’t hate them, he just wanted their money! What a distorted view of life. But it doesn’t just affect how we relate to other people. It also affects how we relate to God. Even our supposedly spiritual activities can be selfish and focussed on making God our “runner” or servant.

Are you a “peacemaker” or a “peace lover”?

A future and a hope

Have you ever felt like God has forgotten you? Have you ever thought that God wasn’t listening or didn’t care? God’s people felt like that when they were taken as prisoners of war to Babylon. They had spent close to seventy years away from their homeland when the prophet Jeremiah brought his message of hope to them. Through Jeremiah God said,

“I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, [14] I'll make sure you won't be disappointed. I'll turn things around for you. I'll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you—bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14 The Message)

I know what I’m doing. Most of us need a regular reminder that God knows what he is doing in the world, and in our lives. Sometimes we are tempted to believe that he has abandoned us or is giving us a hard time. But God says, “I have plans for you. I will take care of you. I will give you the future you hope for”. When life is difficult or uncertain we can lose hope. When we are moving away from comfortable and predictable patterns we can become anxious and uncertain. But God wants us to rest in the knowledge that he “knows what he is doing, and it’s good”.

I’ll listen. Have you ever tried praying? Most people give it a go at some time in their life. It may be during a crisis or a time of special need. But often we give up or become discouraged. We may wonder if there’s any point to it and whether it makes any difference. But God says, “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen”. Be encouraged to keep on talking to God, in the good times and the bad times.

You’ll find me. Is God lost? Why does he need to be found? No, God isn’t lost, but we often are. Jesus tells a series of parables to make that point in Luke chapter 15. Some people wander away without realising it. Others choose to “leave home” and fight against God. Jeremiah’s people felt distant from God, punished for their sin and unsure of how to get back home. God said to them, “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me”.

You wont’ be disappointed. Some people tell me that they’ve tried the “God thing” but it didn’t work, so they’ve given up. Often our searching is half-hearted. We are not that “desperate”. God says, "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed”