Chapter 9: Use 3: To seek to make our peace with God: five helps towards it
Chapter 9 Use 3: To seek to make our peace with God: five helps towards it 1. Keep from the outward acts of sin.
2. Labour to set God continually before you.
3. Resolve not to be at peace with yourselves until you are at peace with God.
4. Seek peace with God on His own terms.
5. Value peace with God now as you will value it on the Day of Judgment.
To conclude this particular aspect of the excellency of our reconciliation with God, there is yet another application we may draw from it, and that is this:
Use 3 If it is of such great value to be at peace with God, O that you would all desire it, that you would all seek to make your peace with Him, who is the great Reconciler.
You may ask, "Can we make our peace with God?"
No, you cannot do it entirely on your own, but it is, to a large extent, prepared for you if you only have hearts to seek after it. It is true, there is another point (but that will be addressed later) to show how it is already offered to some. But for now, you must understand that you can have no clear evidence of this peace within your own conscience until you earnestly seek after it. Indeed, if we truly understood either the necessity of this peace or the excellence of possessing it, we would never find rest in anything until we are assured it belongs to us.
You may ask, "What shall we do?"
I answer: although we know that it is primarily the great work of Christ to make our peace with God, God nevertheless requires that we actively pursue it. And in requiring this, if you belong to Him, He will impart some secret influence of His grace to enable you to achieve it. He will give you a heart to labour for it, which is, in fact, one sign that you are on the path to peace.
Help 1 Therefore, let me urge you to do what you can. For the present, refrain from the outward acts of sin; do not willfully yield to either inward or outward acts of sin. Strive to bring your heart to this state so that you can say, "The Lord knows I do not willfully give in to any known sin." Convince your heart, fully impress upon yourself, that this is the great work you have to accomplish in this world. This is the one thing that is necessary for your soul, and you will find that even this will be a powerful aid in helping you move forward.
Help 2 Again, labour to set God continually before you—His greatness, majesty, power, and goodness. Strive to keep these ever in view, so as to draw your heart towards seeking peace with God.
There is an excellent scripture in Isaiah 27:5, which is somewhat difficult to understand, but it is very sweet if rightly interpreted: "Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me." It is a peculiar phrase, and I find much variation among interpreters regarding this text. I find that Mr
Calvin, who usually gets it right as much as most, renders it in the form of a question: "Will he take hold of my strength, that he may
make peace with me?" As if it were saying, "What will he do? Will he wait until he becomes aware of my power and strength, and only then decide to make peace with me?"
This is how many people behave—they wait until God makes them aware of His power and strength, and only then do they seek to make peace with Him. However, I can hardly think this to be the intent.
Yet it is a valuable meditation to consider God's power, strength, and glory, and to reflect thus: "O, if the Lord were to come now and make me aware of His power and strength, it would certainly stir my heart to seek peace with Him."
Why do we often hear the cries and shrieks of souls who suddenly realise God's power and strength? It is because they finally grasp the reality of the mighty God they are dealing with. The truth is, people do not make it their priority to seek reconciliation and peace with God because they fail to comprehend His power, majesty, and glory— how God is above them, capable of humbling them and making them lowly whenever He pleases.
Therefore, it is a good interpretation to consider: "Will he take hold or grasp my strength, that he may make peace with me?" But I believe the meaning is rather this: "Will he instead make use of my goodness and mercy, and so make peace with me?" For that is the strength referred to here, as I shall show you from the context.
Firstly, let me tell you that in Scripture, 'strength' often signifies God's goodness and mercy—His power to do good as well as His power to bring about judgment. I will give you a few scriptures to support this. In Numbers 14:17: "And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression," and in verse 19: "Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity
of this people, according to the greatness of thy mercy." When Moses pleaded with God for peace between Him and His people, he appealed to God's power: "O Lord," said he, "according to the greatness of thy power, or according to the greatness of thy strength
(for they are the same), do this."
Similarly, in Psalm 27: "The Lord is the strength of my life," where God's power and strength are terms used to express His ways toward
David. Here, the word signifies a strength that supports something weak—just as a vine, being frail, would collapse if left on its own.
Thus, you place props under your vines, which have more strength than the vine itself, to keep it upright. That is precisely the word in the original text translated as "strength," as if God were saying, "Will he take hold of me, as one would take hold of a prop?"
The context of the words supports this meaning, for the prophet in that chapter was speaking of God's goodness to His vineyard. Verse 2 reads: "In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment, lest any hurt it; I will keep it night and day." What a sweet promise this is from God to His
Church!
There may be many enemies who are strong, swift, and ready to shed blood, but take note: in one verse, you read three times "I," "I," "I," says God. "I oppose myself to all the enemies of my Church: I do keep it, I will water it every moment, I will keep it." But what will become of it at night? "I will keep it," says He, "night and day." We have here a promise that allows us to sleep peacefully.
He continues in verse 4, "Fury is not in me; though it is true, I may come against you in such a way that you might think I am provoked, but," says He, "fury is not in me; I am not provoked in a vengeful manner toward my people. Who would set the briars and thorns
against me in battle? There is a group of wicked and ungodly men who may set themselves against me like briars and thorns. But," says
He, "I will go through them if they come in my way, I will consume them, I will burn them together. But my people—they are my vineyard, and I will deal gently with them. I will be a prop and support to them."
Then He continues with this: "Let them take hold of my strength, that they may make peace with me." As if to say, "You are poor, weak creatures; you are indeed my vineyard, and my vine, but you are frail, and when a storm comes, you are ready to bow down and lie flat on the ground. Yes, but," says God, "although you may think my wrath is abroad in the world, my power and my wrath are against my enemies. All my power and strength are for you; they are no different from the prop set under a vine in a storm to prevent it from being beaten to the ground. My power shall support you."
"You should," says He, "take hold of this my strength, just as the vine clasps around the prop, and so make peace with me."
This is an excellent scripture to encourage you, especially in these dangerous times, to be sure to make peace with God. You who are godly and have some hope that God is at peace with you might be troubled with fears of danger. Know that God sets His power and strength beneath you, and He invites you: "Take hold of my strength," says He, "just as the vine takes hold of the prop. By renewing your act of faith in my power and goodness, you will renew your peace with me. Whatever fury is abroad to burn the briars and thorns, you shall have peace with me, and my power that destroys them will be a prop to uphold you."
Thus, this scripture not only illuminates what I said earlier but also urges you to labour and endeavour to make your peace with God in
troubling times. Set, therefore, before your eyes the power of God and the greatness of God—that is one interpretation. Then set before your eyes the goodness and mercy of God, so that your heart may come and entwine itself around this God, just as the vine wraps around the prop or the hop around the pole.
Help 3 In your efforts to make peace with God, observe this rule: resolve within your own heart that you will never be at peace with yourself until you are at peace with God. Do not allow yourself any peace within your own heart until you have obtained true peace with God. I am not saying that you should refuse peace with others, but I do say, resolve never to be at peace with yourself. It is a noble struggle when a person contends with their own sinful heart. Ask yourself, "Shall I be at peace with this wretched heart that is an enemy to God? God forbid! This heart of mine must be brought low and be at peace with God before I will be at peace with it."
Many souls are destroyed because they are so indulgent with their own hearts, unwilling to confront them. The truth is, many continue in ways of enmity against God because they are reluctant to quarrel with their own hearts. We should be willing to let our hearts be troubled all our days if it means laying and securing the foundation of our peace and tranquillity.
Help 4 Another way to make peace is this: come before God with a rope around your neck and sackcloth upon your loins, casting yourself down before the Lord, and beseech Him to set His own terms.
Surrender your heart to God as though it were a blank slate, and pray
for Him to inscribe His conditions upon it, only that He may be at peace with you.
If you do this sincerely, manifest its truth in your life. If you are later tempted to sin or face a duty you find difficult, reflect on the state of your heart. Think to yourself: "Wasn't there a time when I sought to make my peace with God? Didn't I once cast myself before the Lord and offer Him my heart as a blank for Him to write His terms upon?
Now God requires this duty of me, and I am hesitant to do it. Oh, I am not living as I promised when I sought peace." When facing temptation, remind yourself: "This is so contrary to what I vowed to God when I surrendered my heart to Him."
I put this to you: have you ever entered God's presence, as a humble soul, and surrendered your heart to Him as a blank for Him to inscribe His terms upon? If not, you are not at peace with God, and you can be certain that you have not addressed this most important work, which concerns you infinitely more than even your breathing.
You might say, "I hope I have done this; I have been in my closet, offering my heart as a blank to God for Him to write His terms, and I have vowed to accept any conditions."
If so, examine the course of your life to see whether your actions align with such a commitment.
You should do this at every fast, for every fast is meant either to make peace or to renew peace. A day of atonement involves coming before the Lord and surrendering yourself to Him. At the end of such a day of fasting, enter into a covenant with God, giving your heart to Him as a blank for Him to inscribe as He pleases. Either this must be done, or you are taking God's name in vain. If you do this sincerely,
use it as a guide whenever temptation arises and say to yourself: "Is this consistent with someone who has given their heart to God?"
Help 5 Oh, that we could value and perceive now what this peace will mean to us on the day of judgment, when the glorious appearance of the great God will be revealed! You think this peace will be of great worth then; strive to make it just as precious to your heart now. Realise its worth today, just as you will on that day.
This is surely why there are not more souls earnestly pursuing peace with God—because they do not grasp its true value for the future.
There is a precious scripture in 2 Peter 3:14: "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace."
Do you not believe that there will one day be a manifestation of the glorious God in a way far beyond anything we have ever witnessed in this world? Do you not expect such things? If you do, you will undoubtedly long to be at peace with God. Seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found of Him in peace. Let this be the most important matter that occupies your heart—that you may be found of Him in peace.
Woe to you if you are found to be an enemy of God on that day; what will become of you if you are not found in peace? It would have been better for you never to have been born.
But how are you to be found in peace? Consider what follows:
"without spot and blameless." This is the way to be at peace with God. But you might say, "O Lord, if this is required to be found in