2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
This verse comes from the second letter Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica during a time when it was having trouble thanks to some disorderly members. It was also written during a period of trials and persecution from outside forces. Needless to say, peace was not necessarily the order of the day. Yet peace was something Paul wanted them to have and experience.
When I first read this verse, it felt a bit redundant. The Lord of peace Himself giving peace to the church… It seems every time I read it before, I missed that. I never noticed the redundancy until the verse was isolated from the book.
The first thought I had was who is the Lord of peace?To me it seemed pretty obvious that Jesus is the Lord of peace. All commentaries I read agreed with this.
Next I wondered about the redundant feel the verse had. So I began reading it in different versions. This verse in the CEV reads: “I pray that the Lord, who gives peace, will always bless you with peace.” In the Good News Translation it is: “May the Lord himself, who is our source of peace, give you peace at all times in every way.” All other versions and translations are basically the same as our original.
What does all of that mean for us today? Just like the early church who had its share of troubles both internally and externally, we live in a world where peace may not come naturally. And just like those early church members, our true peace comes directly from the Lord of peace Himself, Jesus.
Do you have peace at all times and in every way? Paul wanted it for the church of Thessalonica and we can want it for one another today. It doesn’t mean we will have peace every single second of every day, but we can still desire it and wish it for others just as Paul did.
Let’s make this part of our daily prayer for others – peace beyond understanding (Philippians 4:7) in all circumstances.
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