Article February 23, 1998 Issue

Saved from a flash flood— by a river of peace

You can be safe, comforted—whatever the challenge.

By Marian English

When A River runs serenely, its beauty enriches the land, and it's easy to think of God as its creator. When it becomes treacherous, destructive, polluted, the temptation might be to think that God sends disaster as well. But Scriptural wisdom tells us that the same fountain does not send forth opposites—both sweet water and bitter (see James 3:11, 12).

The Bible describes the river of God's creating. Speaking of God's promise to Jerusalem, it says, "Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream" (Isa. 66:12). Not devastation and turbulence, but peace and glory come from the divine source. Like that ancient, troubled city of Jerusalem, mankind needs to feel the healing power of spiritual peace—not an occasional drop in the bucket, but a river!

We yearn for a better understanding of that all-encompassing divine Love which flows freely, healing hearts and bodies, restoring loss, gathering scattered hopes, and revealing peace just as it did when Christ Jesus healed the sick and stilled storms. It may be tempting to think we have to pray for God to intervene in some situation and bring harmony to discord. Yet the Bible is filled with reminders that, because God is infinite and eternal, He is ever present. He could never be absent or uncaring in any circumstance. We need not plead with Him for peace as though He were inattentive to our needs, for peace is the powerful symbol of God's infinite presence and care, always available to each of us even in the most disheartening events.

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