God’s Peace in Times of Turmoil
Recently I was at a prayer gathering for local pastors in the Edmonton area. We were invited to begin by spending time alone, listening to what God might say about what we should pray about. During the time that followed, I found myself thinking about an almost palpable sense of anxiety and unease that so many people are experiencing and I had the sense that God wanted us to pray about that.
It seems that at almost every turn there are major world events that are creating a sense of unrest and uncertainty in people, whether it be the ongoing war in Ukraine or in the Middle East, or the upcoming American election or the constant economic pressures in the world. Similar situations have been a reality in almost every generation, and yet people today are struggling with a particular sense of anxiety over where the world is heading.
As Christians, we know that our relationship with Jesus Christ is intended to provide a source of peace and rest in the midst of the trials and storms of life. In John 14:27 Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. That is an incredible statement when you consider it. Jesus has said that He wants to give us the same peace that He has; however, as we look around and look at our own lives, how much of that peace is touching our hearts and minds?
What I would like to do in this post is reflect on the unexpected way in which the characteristic of God’s omniscience can actually help us connect to the peace of Christ and enable us to be, in the words of author Mark Sayers, ‘a non-anxious presence’ in the world.
Omniscience is a term derived from the medieval latin word ‘omniscientia’, which simply means "all-knowledge"; the latin word omnis means "all" and scientia which means “knowledge”. Biblical scholar Wayne Grudem defines the omniscience of God in this way: “God fully knows himself and all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act.”
Scripture reveals that God has perfect and complete knowledge of everything in all of His creation.
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” -Hebrews 4:13
In the Book of Job, it says “...do you know the balancing of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge...” (Job. 37:16)
In reflecting on God’s perfect knowledge King David became overwhelmed and wrote:
“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” -Psalm 139:1-6
God’s omniscience extends far beyond our natural world, and includes everything that God has created. God says through the prophet Isaiah:
“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? Lift up your eyes to the heavens: who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.” (Isaiah 40:25-26)
In the same way, the Psalmist declared:
“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” -Psalm 147:4-5
Why is the Bible filled with these descriptions of God’s total and complete knowledge and understanding? Is it just so we know how impressive God is? I think there is more to it than that. One of the implications of God having such knowledge is that God has perfect and complete knowledge about the past, present and the future. This becomes clear when we look at this passage from the prophet Isaiah:
“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.” (Isaiah 46:9-10)
There is nothing happening in the world today that surprises God, or confuses God. There is no problem in the world today that He does not have the solution to. God is not anxious or worried about anything; in fact, God is always at perfect peace.
The characteristic of God’s omniscience can seem like pretty ‘heady stuff’, but I believe that God wants us to know about Him in this way so that He can bring us into greater levels of personal peace and also so that we can share that peace with others by being a ‘non-anxious presence in the world’.
What are the situations in the world or in your own life that are a source of worry and anxiety for you? How do you respond? Are you able to express how you feel by praying and talking to God about it?
When I was growing up in church, there was a children’s chorus with the following words:
“He’s got the whole world in His hands…
He’s got the whole world in His hands”.
Perhaps that simple chorus is what we need to hold onto in these chaotic times. Maybe we need to make that our confession today, and our prayer to God when we feel that everything is our of control. (Here’s a fun version of that chorus, if you want to check it out).
(Photo by Sebbi Strauch on Unsplash)
