The Longing 

The peace of Christ in us helps us win the peace with and among others.  It is His very Holy Spirit working in us to share the message of the torn curtain.  Under the Old Covenant, the Holy of Holies was a place where only the High Priest could enter.  It was separated from the rest of the temple by a curtain.  But the High Priest of heaven, Jesus, offered His own life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, the curtain was torn in two, and men and women were once again able to come shamelessly into the presence of God.  There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, and God is pleased to find His creation living together in harmony (Psalm 133:1, Romans 8:1).

As this peace grows in us, and we model its ethical expression in our daily lives, we must also hope for all to become as we are: walking ambassadors for the Prince of Peace.  It isn’t that we are the perfect models of peace, but rather that we know where it can be found, and want others to experience joy in every relationship, Creator and creature.

Sometimes, I think, it is hard for us, as humans, to define this longing.  We know it exists, but are unsure of its cause.  Why do we have trouble with relationships, or find they elude us altogether?  Why are we unable to trust, or afraid the people we love are going to leave us?  Obviously, experience teaches us all human relationships come with potential challenges.

Do you know what it is like to live with these uncertainties?  Has it been so long since you found the Lord’s peace you have forgotten?  It is not good to live in the past, but it is important to recognize our former struggle in the habits of others.  There is a crisis of longing in our world that can only be answered by Jesus.  We are the peacemakers, making peace with God and others, and drawing others to the same kind of reality.  Do you know someone right now who longs for the peace that comes from knowing God?  Pray for God to use you to show them His perfect peace, found in His perfect Son Jesus.  If the “sons of God” don’t do, who will?