I recently watched a movie, “A House of Dynamite”. As you might expect, this is not an uplifting movie. The plot line is this: someone fires a nuclear missile at Chicago. We don’t know who or why…..and we cannot stop it. The movies deals with how our government reacts to this unfolding catastrophe. In essence, a huge cast of imperfect people operating on imperfect information must decide whether to initiate nuclear Armageddon. All they know is that there is a very high probability that Chicago will be vaporized in 19 minutes. Even that is not certain.
The theme that runs through the movie is that mankind, in spite of our many triumphs, is operating out of our depth. We cannot solve the big problems. Often, we cannot even identify them. And yet……we forge ahead…….confident in our ability to manage the world. We build weapons that we cannot use. We engineer viruses that we cannot survive. We create waste that we cannot get rid of. We exhaust resources that we cannot replace.
“It is in your nature……to destroy yourselves”
The Terminator
We know in our heart that there can be a world where these problems are solved. We know in our heart that such a world exists. We cry out for that perfected world. But, we fail again and again to achieve it. We fail because we lack the wisdom, the self sacrifice, the integrity, the generosity, and the cooperation to build that world.
The hallmark of this perfected world is love…….and the peace that flows out of that love.
“Then, peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars”
Aquarius by the 5th Demension
Such a world once existed. It is described in the book of Genesis. Even more importantly……..such a world will exist again. That is the promise of Christ……a promise to every human soul……living and dead. If we fearlessly search our heart…….we know this to be true.
Such a world can only be the work of a being who operates on an entirely different level than we do. History teaches us that mankind is not capable of this work. Such a world can only be the work of a supernatural being.
God
Love is the essence of God
Peace flows from God’s love
Hope is what connects us to the promise of God’s Peace.
In our heart…….we know this to be true.
Without God……….there is no peace.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Jesus in John 14: 26-27, ESV
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Paul in Phillipians 4:7, ESV