6 Aug Peace Everlasting

6 August 2023

PEACE EVERLASTING

Psalm 72: 3 - 7

Probably one of the most misleading words in Christian discourse is the word “everlasting.” I think Christians have romanticised this word to the point that many of us find it difficult to relate our faith to tangible issues of our world. The word everlasting for many Christians is associated with the afterlife, or a life far better than the one we live in. In light of this, we despise reality and become careless in our living. We become indifferent to the havoc we cause through our carelessness. In the same way, many of us have treated the idea of “peace.” Peace can only be realised in the afterlife. This life is troublesome, and we are just pilgrims passing through. When we speak peace on earth, we speak of negotiations, cease-fires, borders, security, and even war as a way to bring peace. Therefore, peace is somewhat elusive and abstract.

I want to focus on verse three of Psalm 72. “Let there be peace and justice throughout the land, known on every mountain and hill.” What strikes me most about this verse

is the absence of humans as recipients of peace and justice. The verse following, verse four, speaks of the peace and justice that is to be administered by those in authority to those under their control. Already in this separation of status, we find the gap between kings and the poor a breeding pond for injustice. Peace is not merely the absence of violence, but peace is the absence of injustice.

I would like us to see the beauty of verse three without verse four. I would like us to see peace on all the earth without human disturbances. This is more a call for human abstinences from activities that make peace and justice a no-reality for the hills and mountains. Peace can be realised here and now. We do not have to wait for it to come to us; it is in us. We give birth to the peace that is already in us through Christ, our Lord. Everlasting is not abstract but a tangible realisation of something that assures life here and now. Everlasting is when the mountain tops feel the sustaining breeze of life, that, in reciprocity, sustains every living thing. This co-sustenance of life in all of creation is a perfect picture of peace everlasting.

What else do you need when everything is in order? What else would your heart long for when what you need to live is experiencing life in fullness and peace everlasting? But we fret always the lie that not having more than we need is to be at the underhand of life. If we learn abstinence, self-control and the art of appreciating the simple things in life, like the mountains and hills, we have already begun to live in peace everlasting.

prayer

We are always grateful dear Lord, for all that is around us. Peace is when all of the creation experience justice. Peace is when humans see their limits and live by them. Help us, Lord, to bring peace everlasting to our world. May the trees, beaches, snails, birds, and even the rivers feel the peace—your peace. And may we find our peace in the peace they feel. May our peace come from you. In Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen!

for further thought

What are some of the things that disturb peace everlasting in your society?

Nikotemo Sopepa

Council for World Mission