Peace and Mercy

“And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” (Galatians 6:16, ASV)

In 1983, I was sitting in a Minneapolis hotel room, reading a Gideon placed Bible. I was really trying to sort out life. My wife had previously decided to get active in a little start-up church in our neighborhood. Then one day she came home from church and told me she was going to be baptized in the church. Honestly, this bothered me a lot. I thought for certain that this would create problems for our marriage and family.

That night I did not go to bed with my wife immediately, but sat down stairs looking through her tract on baptism and her Bible. Nothing made any sense. So, before going to bed I decided to investigate this further. I actually believed the Bible to be true, but just as a historical book. I knew it had something to do with the church. I also believed that God did exist, but that was about it. Thus, I made a commitment to read the Bible through from cover to cover and do what it said.

I was travelling to Minneapolis on business, leaving either on Sunday evening or Monday and return on Friday evening. This routine went on for months. Every day I read the Bible, beginning in Genesis. This story is longer than I can put in this devotion, but three weeks later she was baptized on a Sunday evening. The following Wednesday, while reading the Bible in that hotel room, God touched my heart with the message of His amazing grace. It was like a light was suddenly switched on. That evening, I experienced His saving grace. Everything changed.

I experienced and understood His mercy extended to me. Yet along with this came an experience of peace, a state of tranquility like I had never experienced before. The Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon describes this peace, eirene, as a “state of national tranquility, exemption from the rage and havoc of war.” All I can say is that when I experienced the grace of God, I experienced rest like I had never known before. It was like the whole weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders. I was at real peace and that night I slept like a baby.

This is Paul’s great conclusion given to the Galatians where he wrote, “as many as shall walk by this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy.” The verb translated as “walk,” stoicheo, is interesting as it refers to marching in rank, keeping in step (Strong G4748) as if marching like a solider in line. The way of mercy and true peace is only possible by trusting in Jesus Christ alone for one’s salvation. In doing so, one surrenders any ability to save themselves and perfect themselves through human effort, that is good works. They will march through life by the grace of God and thus experience the true peace that comes by faith.

This peace of God is available to all who will walk by this rule of grace. Jesus died on the cross to pay the complete penalty of sin and offer a place in heaven to all those who would trust in Him for eternal life. I hope that you are experience this peace of God that comes by faith. If not, you must know that Jesus makes it available to you.