Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all. (2 Thessalonians 3:16 ESV)
The apostle Paul often uses language that is hard to believe. How can a person have peace at ALL times and in EVERY way? How is this possible in the sad, chaotic, and broken world we live in?
Everyone is searching for peace. Every client we care for longs for an existence marked less by anxiety and more by contentment. We spend much of our time, energy, and resources trying to cobble a peaceful existence, only to find our efforts fall short. Peace often feels more distant, like a puzzle we can’t seem to put together.
Paul doesn’t tell us to go find peace. Rather, he asks the Lord of peace to give it to us. Peace is not something to primarily make, but rather to receive. We cannot experience peace without first opening our hearts to the peace of Christ. His life, death, and resurrection made peace an option for us.
So, how can we have peace in all times and in every way? The answer lies in the last line: The Lord be with you all. The omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent God has promised to never leave or forsake us. He is our peace at all times and in every way. In His hands, all things serve to bring about His glory and our good. This often does not feel true amidst our broken reality, but we have access to this kind of peace through faith. Faith that which knows our feelings change each moment but our God does not. The Lord of peace is with you, and He isn’t going anywhere.
