Wonderful Peace
Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial strains it unceasingly falls
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.
Chorus
Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!
What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace,
Buried deep in the heart of my soul,
So secure that no power can mine it away,
While the years of eternity roll!
I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,
Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control;
For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day,
And His glory is flooding my soul!
And I think when I rise to that city of peace,
Where the Anchor of peace I shall see,
That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing
In that heavenly kingdom will be:
Ah, soul! are you here without comfort and rest,
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your Friend ere the shadows grow dark;
O accept of this peace so sublime!”
This song has special meaning to me and I always have fond memories when I hear this song. There have been times where my children would wake up in the middle of the night after a bad dream or a thunderstorm when they were scared. Most of the time they would cry out for Mom or Dad rather than get out of bed and come down to our room. In those times when I would go up to check on them, I would typically sing the chorus of this song to them. The melody and the words communicated to them a sense of peace and calm (because I am sure it wasn’t my singing). As they have gotten a little older, I have asked them “Have you sang Peace, Peace?” when they have a bad dream or are scared by a thunderstorm. There response is typically, “No, Daddy, but will you sing it to me?” The song does have a comforting message, but more than that, it points to the source of true peace – God. As much as I may want my kids to depend on me, I do want to teach them that they should rely on God during difficult circumstances. He has and will continue speak peace into our lives, but we need to look to Him for that peace.
Secondly, I love the imagery in the second verse. The author says that this peace he has from God is “buried deep” in his soul. This peace is so secure, that no power can “mine it away.” I have a picture in my mind of a huge mountain with coal buried deep within. The machinery, the dynamite, and the work required to dig into that mountain to get that coal is tremendous. The author says that the same is true for the peace that he has within. All the negative things in our world – negative people, sickness, problems, bills, relationship issues, etc. – cannot “mine” away that peace that God has given. I wish that I could say I always display that kind of peace. Sometimes I feel that my peace is a like a ship on the ocean tossed to and fro by the wind. I think, however, that God does not intend us to be tossed by the winds of the world, but to have a firm foundation in Him. We can rest in the fact that He has given us His peace.
Finally, I like the last verse. It is a question to a wayward soul – Are you here without comfort or rest? There are lots of people in our world who don’t have any peace in their life. They are a prisoner to their circumstances, and their attitude about life changes from day to day depending on how the wind blows. As Christians, I hope that we display a peace and calm during difficult times so that our lives are a testimony to the grace and peace of God. If you handle tough situations differently than the world does, then people will notice that, ask you questions about it, and give you the opportunity to share Christ with them.
Do you have peace today? The answer should be yes because Christ promised He would give it to us. John 14:27 says “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”