The Harvest of Peace: Contentment, Circumstance, and the Sovereignty of God

Imagine utter contentment in the life of every believer in the local church. Imagine the complete absence of conflict. Imagine a perfectly even-keeled fellowship in which panic is unknown, prayer meetings are well attended, and no one complains about the government, the economy, crime, the weather, or the length of the sermons. Imagine a community of believers who, rather than grumbling about their lot in life, exhibit an attitude of wholehearted contentment.

This is not too good to be true. God expects such attitudes from each of his children and has given us the power of the Spirit to ensure we cultivate them. If we walk in the Spirit, we will manifest this fruit of the Spirit in our lives. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

The Greek word translated “peace” literally means “a binding together.” In everyday language, it describes the person who “has it all together.” It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew shalom, which speaks of utter serenity and comprehensive flourishing. In the biblical sense, this peace means experiencing God’s blessing in every area of life. In short, it is a sense of well-being that flows from a right relationship with God and with one another. As the old hymn puts it, “Nothing between me and my Saviour.”

This peace springs from our response to God’s sovereignty. Because we know God to be sovereign—the ruler of all things—we can live with tranquillity, for our Father holds the universe in his hands.

How do we cultivate the harvest of peace? What practical steps can we take to manifest this fruit? Above all else: believe the gospel.Paul speaks of “the gospel of peace” (Romans 10:15; Ephesians 6:15), for it is the gospel that produces peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We will never have peace with others until we first have peace with God.

Closely following from this, guard against any unworthy view of God. God is sovereign. He is in control of all things and sets the terms of life. If we truly understand that he governs everything that comes to pass, we can move through life with calm assurance, knowing that nothing takes God by surprise.

The error of open theism has been gaining momentum in the church—even in ostensibly evangelical congregations. This theology teaches that God does not see all things beforehand. At best, its proponents hold that he knows every possible scenario and is able to respond appropriately to any event, turning it to good, but, since the future is not written, he does not know with certainty what will actually take place.

This is not the God of the Bible. A god who cannot see around the corner is nothing more than an idol. The God of Scripture designed the corner and placed it exactly where he intended. He knows at all times what is coming.

If we listen to the Spirit, who guides us into all truth, we will come to see that God is in control of everything. Therefore, no matter how much our life seems to be falling apart, we can rest assured that he holds it all together, and so we can face life with genuine peace. We must recognise, however, that a worthy view of God will never become a reality if we merely attend church once a week to hear the preacher. We must be in the word regularly and on our knees before our Father in prayer, asking the Spirit to open our eyes to behold our wonderful God in what he has written. All Scripture directs us to the majesty of God; as we understand this more fully, our appreciation for his character will grow, and with it the fruit of peace in our lives.

Furthermore, if we are to cultivate peace, we must be committed to prayer.

Consider the Lord Jesus Christ standing before the Sanhedrin, Pilate, and Caiaphas. In human terms, they held his very life in their hands. Yet he calmly declares, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11). He knew that no man could take his life from him; had he not willingly laid it down, he would never have suffered death. Even on the cross, he acted with tremendous composure, able to assure the repentant thief, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). No greater manifestation of peace can be found than in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is all of this too good to be true? It is not. “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). The harvest can be ours if we will but walk in the Spirit. To some degree, all local churches will experience love, joy, and peace; but there is always room for growth. There can be a harvest of these things in our lives—if each believer will commit to walking in the Spirit and so refuse to gratify the desires of the flesh.