13. A Quiet and Peaceable Life
13
A Quiet and Peaceable Life
Aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.
1 Thessalonians 4:11
That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
1 Timothy 2:2
Modern life seems always competitive, even to getting the last parking place at the supermarket. Modern life is complex as I try to figure out the latest edition of the device I use to test my blood sugar. Modern life is also extremely noisy. I’m sitting quietly on the patio, wanting to read a book, and three neighbors decide to mow their lawns, another neighbor turns up the volume on his radio as he washes his wife’s car, and a vehicle with a broken muffler goes coughing down the street. A few moments later a teen drives by with a boom box, telling everybody that he has bad taste in music and a bad future for his hearing. I finally retreat into the house, put some quiet music on the stereo, and enjoy reading my book.
But I’m smart enough to know that it isn’t the noise on the outside that distracts me, but the noise on the inside. Counselors tell us that we have a chorus of voices within us that compliment us, criticize us, correct us, sometimes confuse us, and always try to control us, and that’s why we lose our peace. One voice shouts, You have a book to write! Another one whispers, The mail needs to be answered. A third one reminds me that there are stacks of newspapers, aluminum cans, and plastic bottles to be taken to the recycle bins. In my ministry I have flown thousands of miles, and I know that planes and airports are noisy, but on almost every trip I always completed my work. The secret of a quiet and peaceful life is not perfect silence in perfect isolation but a quiet mind and a quiet heart under the control of the Spirit of God. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isa. 26:3).
How does our loving Father help His children to live quiet and peaceable lives in a world that is so noisy and competitive? Here are some of the ministries He wants to share with us, if we will let Him.
He Leads Us
“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters” (Ps. 23:2). The pasture provides food and the stream provides water, but there is more here than physical sustenance. Sheep need to lie down and rest, and sheep are afraid of rapidly moving water. If the flock is to be ready for the next stage of the journey, it must be allowed to enjoy peaceful rest. Jesus said to His disciples, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). Vance Havner used to say, “If you don’t come apart and rest, you will come apart!” An energetic pastor friend of mine was in the hospital for emergency surgery and my wife and I went to visit him. “I have so much work to do,” he said, and I replied, “But the Scripture says, ‘He makes me to lie down.’” He took a deep breath and replied, “I tell that to other people.”
Sometimes the Lord has to set us aside so we can catch up on the past. We get so involved with new ideas and new gadgets and new challenges that we need a week in bed to think back and learn from the old times. Jeremiah told the confused Jewish people, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls” (Jer. 6:16). One evening as I was driving home, a drunk driver hit me going eighty miles an hour, and I was set aside for about three months, two weeks of that time in the hospital. For a week I lived on ice, fruit juice, and cottage cheese. When the aide brought me my first real meal, I was ecstatic. Food never tasted so good! (I learned later that the meal I ate belonged to another patient, but it was too late for the aide to do anything about it.) Occasionally we need to “come apart” and rest and discover how wonderful family and friends are, how good food is, how tired our bodies are, how precious time and life are, how nice most people are, and what a privilege it is to be alive and serving Jesus.
He Disciplines Us
My father had the fastest belt in Indiana. I didn’t enjoy being disciplined, but I profited from it. When I was in my teens and had become a Christian, Hebrews 12 became a meaningful chapter to me and it still is. “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11). I especially like the New Living Translation version of the phrase “the peaceable fruit of righteousness”—“a peaceful harvest of right living.” The Lord has more than once said to me what He said to Peter, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this” (John 13:7).
Following every discipline experience, the Lord gives us “a peaceful harvest” to enjoy. After a parent disciplines a child, the tears will be wiped away, and there will be hugs and kisses and perhaps even a special treat. As young as I was, I rejoiced when the spanking was over; I was forgiven and my family still loved me. The prophet Zephaniah expresses this beautifully: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing” (Zeph. 3:17 NIV). I see God the Father picking up His fretful child and holding the child close to His heart while He sings a lovely song. Yes, God sings! This is part of the “quiet harvest” that follows loving discipline.
He Weans Us (Ps. 131)
Jewish children were weaned between ages three and four, so they were old enough to protest being taken from their mother’s arms where her exclusive love was so delightful. But it was time for the children to start growing up, feeding themselves and helping their mother with some of the household chores. The child that is not weaned is in bondage, unable to enjoy the freedoms that every child deserves. To be a “mama’s baby” all your life is not the secret of a productive happy life!
The Lord’s goal for each of His children is maturity. Growing old is a given; growing up is a choice, and we make the decision. To stay in the primary department of the Sunday School because you receive treats is a poor motive for standing still in your Bible study and refusing to discuss the Scriptures with your peers. There is always more to learn and to do, and the process is called maturing.
As we mature spiritually, we learn to cultivate a quiet heart. Things I used to fuss over early in my Christian walk no longer enter my mind, and as I look back I wonder why I was disturbed in the first place. Sometimes the Lord has to wean us away from things we enjoy that are keeping us from growing up. Abraham and Sarah had to give up their home and family in Ur, and one day, Abraham had to give up his son Isaac! Joseph had to give up father, family, and home before the Lord could equip him to be second ruler of Egypt so he could rescue his family. It isn’t only bad things that God takes from us, for even good things can hinder our maturing if they become idols.
The key is submission. The child who submits to mother’s will discovers a whole new world of enrichment and the child has been set free to enjoy it! Paul says it perfectly: “when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11). I have seen churches crippled and almost destroyed by people who will not give up their toys. If clothing revealed spiritual stature, they would have been wearing diapers. In Psalm 131, David tells the Lord he’s through being upset like a child and is now “calmed and quieted.”
Am I in need of weaning? Is there anything in my life that is childish and needs to be removed? If I desire a quiet and peaceable life, I had better give my toys to Jesus and let Him lead me into maturity and victory.
He Yokes Us to Jesus
One of the greatest invitations Jesus ever gave is recorded in Matthew, and it holds one of the keys of a quiet and peaceful heart.
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matt. 11:28–30)
The first step the restless sinner must take is to come to Jesus and receive the gift of salvation, which includes the gift of rest. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). But that is only the beginning. We must take Christ’s yoke and yield ourselves wholly to Him so that we are yoked together in doing the will of God. To the farmer in New Testament times, taking the yoke meant completely controlling an animal that had been broken, and to a student it meant submitting completely to a rabbi and listening and learning.
Everybody is “yoked” to something—property, money, other people, sins, religious rituals—but these yokes have a way of running our lives and do not bring freedom. British theologian Peter T. Forsythe said, “The purpose of life is not to find your freedom but to find your master.” How do you become a great athlete? By putting yourself under the mastery of a great coach. Do you want to be a great musician? Then surrender to a great musician and learn. Do you want to live a great life? Then submit to the greatest Life of all—Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Come—take—learn. This means spending time in the Word of God and with the people of God, learning all we can about the Son of God and putting it into practice. “Come” is a crisis and so is “take,” but “learn” is a process that goes on and on. Jesus is not telling us simply to learn about the Bible but to learn about Him from the Bible. The Holy Spirit desires to show us Jesus in the Scriptures and to help us to love Him more and serve Him better.
Come—take—learn—find. The peace we have when we come to Jesus is peace with God, for we are now His children and not His enemies. But the peace we find as we grow spiritually is the peace of God!
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6–7)
This is the rest we find as we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).
So, if you want to experience a quiet and peaceable life, get yoked to Jesus and learn! Jesus said, “These things have I spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace” (John 16:33). The better we know Him and His Word, the more we will enjoy His peace.
He Encourages Us to Pray
“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Rom. 12:18).
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. (1 Tim. 2:1–3)
Granted, there are situations over which we have no control, but we can pray and ask God to work. Some people are like sandpaper and the Lord uses them to polish us, while others are professional critics and complainers who constantly test our patience. I have learned to pray for these people who make life difficult, and the Lord has worked in me and in them and helped us both. Let’s be sure we are the victims and not the offenders!
Believing prayer solves problems. There is a peace that comes to the heart when you commit everything to the Lord and trust Him to work. I recall one serious church problem that required five years of faith and patience as we prayed and waited, but the problem was solved!
He Teaches Us the Scriptures
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). While in the upper room with His disciples (John 13–16), Jesus explained many important spiritual truths that they would need to grasp and apply after He had returned to heaven. If we turn to the Word of God only in times of trouble, we are robbing ourselves, but if we meditate on the Scriptures daily, we will be fortified in faith and able to confront the enemy. “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble” (Ps. 119:165).
Jesus told His disciples, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). How does the world give peace? Either by sedation or distraction. You can go to the pharmacy and purchase pills that will calm you down, but they will not build you up so you can face and solve your problems. Or you can go to a baseball game, a movie, or on a shopping spree, and forget all about it for two or three hours, but the problem will still be there. Through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, Jesus gives us what we need to face and solve our problems in His time and in His way. Every Christian needs a list of Scripture texts that have in the past brought help in times of testing. Better yet, memorize these key verses and have them ready when the enemy attacks. That’s the way Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness, and it will work for you.
He Gives Us Work to Do
Yes, He makes us to lie down (Ps. 23:2), and there are times when a good nap helps solve problems. But He also helps us to get up and go to work! But how can work contribute to a quiet life? To do the work the Lord has assigned to us is a privilege, not a punishment. Even before sin entered the scene, our first parents had work to do in the garden. Have you noticed in Scripture that many of the people God called into His service were busy at work when He called them? Moses was caring for sheep, Gideon was threshing wheat, David was tending his father’s flock, Peter, Andrew, James, and John were mending nets, and Matthew was collecting taxes. Before He began His ministry, our Lord Jesus Christ was a carpenter (Mark 6:3), and Paul was a tentmaker throughout his years of service.
There is no place in God’s kingdom for lazy people, particularly lazy pastors. For the dedicated Christian, every legitimate work is service for the Lord, and to waste time is to sin. As much “divine service” is done by a mother in the kitchen and laundry as by a preacher in the pulpit or a missionary translating the Bible. The dignity of work done well honors the Lord. Work done from the heart to God’s glory is a form of worship. Even when we have tired bodies and minds, if we have done our work well, there is a joy in our hearts that only God can give. “The sleep of a laboring man is sweet” (Eccles. 5:12). “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (Isa. 32:17).
Paul had a problem in the church at Thessalonica: some of the members were quitting their jobs and lounging around waiting for the return of the Lord (2 Thess. 3:6–15). They were wrong, of course, because the Lord wants to find us busy and faithful when He returns (Mark 13:32–37). Having done a good day’s work makes a person feel good in spite of weariness of the body and mind. There is a God-given satisfaction in work well done, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).