“Peace, brother,” the guy in the next cell said as the guard made his rounds again. The guy just never shut up. All day long either singing or talking or making comments, I was tired of it. Getting up off my bunk I yelled “Peace, there is no peace! Not with you making noise all day long. Could you just give it a break?” Silence. The seconds clicked by but as I returned to my bunk he started again, singing, of all things a song about peace. It was going to be a long weekend.
I was back in the Vernal, Utah lockup doing my last weekend for conviction of DUI, driving while under the influence. The judge had allowed non-consecutive days because of my job, so my 96 hours was broken into two weekends. I just needed to get through these last two days and I was done, with jail time at least. But I could see that was not going to be easy with the motor mouth in the next cell.
As I lay on my bunk staring at the ceiling trying to count the tile squares for the fourth or fifth time. I wondered how anyone can find what this guy seemed so hooked on, peace. I mean what the heck is it anyway. My life was one storm after another, I had no idea what he was singing about. Was it all about quiet? I had always heard the phrase, “peace and quiet” from the time I could remember. And right now, the quiet is all I was seeking. But peace, I didn’t have a clue. Taking my pillow and putting it over my ears, wondering, “Will I ever have something I can’t even understand?”
Peace. It is one of the promises that is spoken of time and time again in the Bible, but I could find no comfort in any of them when I first heard and read them. My life had never had any semblance of the words and I could not believe that I would ever feel what they offered. How could I have turmoil and peace at the same time. It just did not make sense. That is until I understood that peace does not come from without but from within. From what I know now as the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit.
I’ll bet there are some who read this that will think I am talking a bunch of holy roller mumbo jumbo and not that long ago I would have been right there with you. But I now truly believe in the third person of the Godhead who can live within us and bring us all the peace that the Word of God promises.
Why do I believe this? First because I have experienced it in a way that was life changing and you are reading it. The man who committed criminal acts, abused drugs and alcohol and deserted my son, is not the man who writes this blog. That man no longer exists. He not only couldn’t have written this and he would have cursed the man who does.
That is the miracle of accepting Jesus sacrifice and believing His words, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, who the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) When I was a man of the world, I neither saw or knew God. I had no peace because true peace exists in believing in God and His Son Jesus Christ. When I believed the promise came true. I knew the Holy Spirit and He dwelled with and in me. Peace being one of His fruits, was finally mine.
The turmoil of the world still exists. I do not back away from it. As a follower of Jesus, I believe it is our job to share His peace. Jesus assured us, “I told you these things so you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) This is the truth where we all can begin.
In my life now I have what I sought in that jail cell years ago. I have found I do not need a peaceful world to have real and tangible peace. His promise is true and the Spirit is waiting for anyone to claim the fruits of the promise. So today I can actually say along with my old cellmate, “Peace, brother. Peace sister.” And really mean it.
Blessings John
8/9/17
Peace may not be that hard to find, after all…
