It is an oxymoron. The dictionary defines oxymoron as a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect. And locution is a style of speech or verbal expression; a phraseology. Examples of an oxymoron would be: a humble God, the sound of silence, or the living dead.
I love a good oxymoron. It kinda reminds me of life in general. Isn't life literally an oxymoron by itself?
Power is defined as the capability of doing or accomplishing something; a great or marked ability to do or act; a strength, might, or force. While peace is a state of stillness, silence, or serenity; a state of tranquility or quiet; a state of security or order. For me, to possess the power of peace is an oxymoron, and a great one indeed! God says in His Word:
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:7
To attain peace is one of the most elusive occupations of man. Whether we like it or not, we have to admit that there is this huge, gaping hole within us that no amount of wealth, success, or happiness can ever fill. We have heard it all from famous celebrities to popular billionaires, how often they speak about this emptiness and despair that don't seem to go away. Dreadfully, drugs and alcohol are consumed in the hope of lessening the pain and to stifle the inner tumult.
When we read such promises from God in the Bible about having the "peace of God, which passeth all understanding" and "the LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace." -Psalm 29:11, people tend to doubt it. They say, but isn't it a lofty promise? Maybe, but there are only two choices --- either you believe it or not. And if you believe it and claim God's promise of peace, what great power it brings to a person's mind, heart and soul! It is that kind of power that even in times of difficulty, sufferings and devastation, God's people remain resilient. Yes, there may be so much pain and crying but it is not a sign of weakness or despair. Oftentimes, the pain a Christian goes through is necessary enough to make him stronger just like purifying gold through a furnace.
Darkness is only as dark as it can be until when we bring in some light into it. Come to think of it, the blackest tint of paint we use on a palette will always be the same unless we add some white paint to make it lighter. One way or the another, we will experience some form of darkness in our life. It is one of those things that will grip a hold of our hearts and minds which can make us buckle on our knees. We often think, how can we survive such a blow? How can we move on and go on living after such a loss? How can we ever recover? We are such a broken specie. We hurt and we break apart, but by the grace of God, we often find that we are far more stronger that we can even begin to imagine. We have His peace to sustain us. We have His peace to "fix" our brokenness. We have the power of peace to help us pick up the pieces, move on, and to look forward to the hope He alone can give through His salvation.
"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." -2 Corinthians 4:8-9
I do not claim to have gone through great adversities in my life as compared to others, and I do not wish to go through one either, but as scared as I can possibly be, I am also completely confident that even amidst the "eye of the storm," I will see the calm, through chaos and utter confusion, I will have God's promised peace. It is an experience that no amount of words can truly explain, you just have to know it to understand, and it is something you have to go through to be able to see with your "inner eye." God's peace has power that defies natural laws and human nature. It is not magic, it is something real yet out of this world. Peace that overpowers common sense. Peace that has the power to calm down fears. A peace that is beyond imagination yet attainable by faith alone. What a great oxymoron, and glory to God! Amen.
I love a good oxymoron. It kinda reminds me of life in general. Isn't life literally an oxymoron by itself?
Power is defined as the capability of doing or accomplishing something; a great or marked ability to do or act; a strength, might, or force. While peace is a state of stillness, silence, or serenity; a state of tranquility or quiet; a state of security or order. For me, to possess the power of peace is an oxymoron, and a great one indeed! God says in His Word:
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:7
To attain peace is one of the most elusive occupations of man. Whether we like it or not, we have to admit that there is this huge, gaping hole within us that no amount of wealth, success, or happiness can ever fill. We have heard it all from famous celebrities to popular billionaires, how often they speak about this emptiness and despair that don't seem to go away. Dreadfully, drugs and alcohol are consumed in the hope of lessening the pain and to stifle the inner tumult.
When we read such promises from God in the Bible about having the "peace of God, which passeth all understanding" and "the LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace." -Psalm 29:11, people tend to doubt it. They say, but isn't it a lofty promise? Maybe, but there are only two choices --- either you believe it or not. And if you believe it and claim God's promise of peace, what great power it brings to a person's mind, heart and soul! It is that kind of power that even in times of difficulty, sufferings and devastation, God's people remain resilient. Yes, there may be so much pain and crying but it is not a sign of weakness or despair. Oftentimes, the pain a Christian goes through is necessary enough to make him stronger just like purifying gold through a furnace.
Darkness is only as dark as it can be until when we bring in some light into it. Come to think of it, the blackest tint of paint we use on a palette will always be the same unless we add some white paint to make it lighter. One way or the another, we will experience some form of darkness in our life. It is one of those things that will grip a hold of our hearts and minds which can make us buckle on our knees. We often think, how can we survive such a blow? How can we move on and go on living after such a loss? How can we ever recover? We are such a broken specie. We hurt and we break apart, but by the grace of God, we often find that we are far more stronger that we can even begin to imagine. We have His peace to sustain us. We have His peace to "fix" our brokenness. We have the power of peace to help us pick up the pieces, move on, and to look forward to the hope He alone can give through His salvation.
"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." -2 Corinthians 4:8-9
I do not claim to have gone through great adversities in my life as compared to others, and I do not wish to go through one either, but as scared as I can possibly be, I am also completely confident that even amidst the "eye of the storm," I will see the calm, through chaos and utter confusion, I will have God's promised peace. It is an experience that no amount of words can truly explain, you just have to know it to understand, and it is something you have to go through to be able to see with your "inner eye." God's peace has power that defies natural laws and human nature. It is not magic, it is something real yet out of this world. Peace that overpowers common sense. Peace that has the power to calm down fears. A peace that is beyond imagination yet attainable by faith alone. What a great oxymoron, and glory to God! Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment