Recently, I was in my Bible studying, as one does. And in a particular text, it talked about restoring peace. You see, it’s interesting how the Holy Spirit, God, moves. A theme will often show up time and time again leading up to me writing a sermon. This time, He used Elder Chris. He expressed to me how “peace” keeps popping up for him. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. However, it started doing the same for me. Ok, God, I hear you. Amen.
My first thought about peace is, what is it? How does the Bible define it? Well, the first time the Bible uses the term “peace” is in Genesis 15:15.
“As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.”
This section is leading up to the covenant that will be made by God and Abram. God was assuring Abram that the hardships that were about to fall would not happen to him. He was saying, you won’t have to worry. You won’t have to go through these trials and tribulations. He, God, was making him, Abram, a promise.
Throughout the Bible, the word “peace” is used in a variety of ways. Peace in Hebrew is Shalom. This word doesn’t just mean an absence of conflict. It means:
- Rest from anxiety
- Relief from future hardships
- A settled, secure end
- A life wrapped up in God’s promise
So, the Bible’s first use of “peace” is God’s protective covenantal assurance.
Peace (Shalom) means more than quiet or calm:
- Wholeness
- nothing missing, nothing broken
- Harmony
- relationships working as they should
- Safety
- protection from harm
- Well-being
- physical, emotional, spiritual
- Right Relationship with God
- covenant security
- Completion
- fullness of life
- Restoration
- what was broken is made whole
So, “Restoration of Peace” really points to God restoring what was fractured back into wholeness.
Understanding what peace is is all well and good, but HOW does a person obtain this “peace”?
Peace is never self-produced.
“the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
-Numbers 6:26
We don’t manufacture peace. We received it by alignment with God’s presence and will. But let’s avoid the cop-out of “just feel peaceful” or “think positive thoughts”. The Bible doesn’t treat peace as something we pursue. Peace is always given for the sake of unity, and unity is always given for the sake of God’s kingdom.
Peace –> Unity –> Mission
That is the biblical pattern.
You cannot have unity with others if you do not first have peace within yourself.
This is why scripture connects peace with trust, obedience, and inner restoration. When the heart is fractured:
- anxiety divides
- bitterness consumes
- shame silences it
- fear drives it
- self-hatred splinters it
But when the Spirit opens doors to peace, be it through peace, medication, therapy, acceptance, understanding…it brings:
- the scattered pieces back together
- calm to the inner voices
- wholeness to the soul
Peace restores the unity of the self. This is the foundation. Before the church stands united, the people in it must be made whole.
Biblical peace is always relational.
Once God brings peace inside us, He calls us to shape our relationships by that same peace. Pruning.
- Reconciliation
- Peacemaking
- Forgiveness
- Endurance together
Unity in relationships doesn’t mean agreement on everything. It means we refuse to let division win. It means:
- We walk through conflict without hiding it.
- We confide in each other when we are weak.
- We endure together rather than endure alone.
- We ask for help instead of isolating.
Division cannot build unity.
Division cannot build the kingdom.
Only restoration can.
A restored person can restore others.
When individuals gain peace, and relationships are shaped by peace, the church becomes a place of peace.
“I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace:”
-Ephesians 4:1-3
- Peace is a bond.
- Unity is the result.
- Mission is the purpose.
A peaceful church is not a quiet church; it is a reconciled, faithful, mission-driven church.
At Christ’s Redemption Church:
- We help each other find peace.
- We walk with one another through the darkest times.
- We carry our wounded, not abandon them.
- We remind each other of the mission God gave us.
- We speak life, not shame.
- We build bridges, not walls.
- We refuse to drop the mission God entrusted to us.
If God gave you a calling, don’t let it drop.
If the road is long, we will walk with you.
If the night is dark, we will endure it together.
Amen!
