Have you ever had a relationship where there was tension, and that lack of peace seemed to spill over into every aspect of your life? It’s almost as if you’ve got a sore big toe that hurts with every step . . . when an important relationship is off kilter, it’s hard to ignore.
If this is true of our human relationships, it’s even more true when it come to our relationship with the God who created us. Having peace in our relationship with God is essential to having peace in other aspects of our life.
This month we’re looking at the hymn, “It is Well.” Last week we saw that Jesus gives us peace through His Spirit, even in the midst of difficult circumstances. This week we’ll look at the second and third verses of this hymn, which tell us how we can have peace with God:
“Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin – O, the bliss of this glorious thought! –
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul.”
In these two verses, we see how the author of the hymn connected his peaceful soul with Christ’s sacrifice for him. We find this same truth in the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 5:1:
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
Because Christ took the penalty for our sin on the cross, we have peace with God. We are reconciled to our Heavenly Father and Righteous Judge, the Lord God Almighty. We are justified, which means we are declared righteous by God because of the righteousness given to us by Christ through faith.
This peace with God is a gift from God through Christ’s sacrifice. Because we didn’t earn it, it can’t be taken away. In all circumstances, we who have placed our faith in Christ can have peace in our souls, because we have peace with God.
No matter what you face this week, you have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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