Andrew Wilson in his great book ‘Incomparable: Explorations into the character of God’ tells a great story about peace. During the 2nd world war there was a painting competition for the best depiction of peace. Most entrants painted pastoral pictures, countryside, beautiful calm waters or parents holding children. You know the type! One painting was very different. It was a picture of a cascading waterfall, of stormy grey clouds, of torrential stormy rain, and chaos everywhere. But out of the waterfall came a long branch. At the end of the branch perched a beautiful songbird in full throatal song. The painting won first prize.
In the book of Judges (chapter 6 to be precise), we meet one of the heroes of faith, Gideon. It is a dark time for Israel, its situation reminding us of our waterfall scene, chaos all around. Israel is under constant attack from the Midianites who keep roaming around the country ruining their crops, thus keeping them in poverty and weak and knowing hardships. Our ‘hero’ is introduced to us Gideon, and he is doing something ridiculous. He is threshing his wheat in a wine press to keep it out of site from the attackers. Threshing wheat of course needs the wind to separate the wheat and the chaff, no threshing can really get done in a hole in the ground. Gideon is cowering with fear… saying… ‘don’t notice me’, ‘leave me alone’, ‘I am so afraid’. Some hero! Gideon is terrified. He sees himself as the least of the least of the least. There is no peace, no peace in Israel and no peace in Gideons heart. The angel of the Lord is about to enter the story and make it a whole lot worse! He tells our scared insecure hero that he is in fact a mighty warrior and gives him the responsibility to defeat the mighty midianite armies and rescue Israel! This is the opposite of peace. This is war, danger, turmoil, anxiety… impossibility. What is cascading around you at this moment? What are your grey skies? What are your cascading waterfalls? What is stripping you of peace? What are your impossibilities?
It is in this scene with Gideon that God reveals his name, and thus his character to us all. He declares through the angel of the Lord that he is Yahweh-Shalom or Yahweh-is-peace. That even though there is fear, chaos, danger and war all around that he can come and give us peace for today. That we can be like that magnificent songbird in full throatal joy as we go through the dark skies and cascading waterfalls that is this life this side of eternity.
If we invite God into our situations, into our lives, he comes, and when he comes he brings his very character, his very presence and here it is announced that one of those characteristics is peace. Whatever we are going through, whatever struggles, God can come and bring his very self – peace. And make us right with ourselves, right with others and most importantly right with him. May you be a songbird!
So how do we know this peace? How do we invite God into our lives? One more painting story!
Years ago there was a rich chap who shared a passion for art collecting with his son. Together they travelled and added to one of the finest art collections by buying treasured pieces from the likes of Picasso, Monet and Van Gogh for example. Their collection was simply priceless!
War engulfed the nation and the widowed father watched his son go off to serve his country. After only a short time, his father received the most dreaded of telegrams. His son had died while carrying another soldier to a medic.
There was knock on the grieving fathers door one Christmas day. A soldier greeted him with a large package in his hands. He introduced himself as the soldier his son had saved. They talked a while as the soldier explained that he was an artist and that the package was a portrait he had painted of the father’s son that he wanted to give him as a gift. The painting was no masterpiece like the others that hung around the house! Though it lovingly displayed the son in striking detail, and seemed to capture his personality. The father of course treasured it.
The following spring the father died of old age. The art world was in anticipation! According to the will of the old man, all of his art collection would be auctioned. When the day arrived art collectors from all over the world had gathered to snap up the most spectacular paintings.
But the auction did not start with any recognised painting, it started with the painting of the man’s son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid. The room was silent. He asks for a 100 dollars… still no sound… from the back of the room heckles begin, ‘who cares about that painting lets get on with the important ones’. Everyone there agreed. The auctioneer had strict instructions though, this painting had to be sold first. Finally a friend of the family spoke, ‘I knew the boy, so I’d like to have it. I will bid the 100 dollars.’ The auctioneer asked if anyone would go higher, and of course they didn’t, they just wanted to get on with the real reason they were there. ‘Going once, going twice, gone’ as the gavel fell. Cheers filled the room!
The auctioneer then looked at the audience and announced the auction over. Stunned disbelief quieted the room. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘We did not come here for a picture of some old guys son’, What about all the other paintings’? The auctioneer replied ‘it is very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son… gets it all’.
Here we have the essence of the Christian story. Whoever takes the Son, whoever asks Jesus into their lives and try to imitate him, gets it all. That means peace! That means the presence of God. That means purpose. That means fullness of life. That means forgiveness. That means eternal life.
So back to our first picture. What were your grey skies? Your stormy weather? Your cascading waterfalls? Come to Jesus, invite him in, and when we come to the son we get it all. Peace for today and perfect peace in eternity tomorrow as the God of peace, Yahweh Shalom, promises to walk with us and help us to sing like a songbird with all the chaos going on around. May you know Yahweh Shalom.
May this song from Eva Cassidy help you pray and reflect… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTNLYeaL7No
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