When Our Peace is Shattered

      There are times when we cannot take ourselves out of the way of wrong doings done to us and our world is affected and our peace shattered. Our Bible tells us what to do and where we can turn when our peace is shattered and reliving our hurts is destroying us. It tells us two stories of two sons and a daughter, two families, two coats of many colors, peace shattered and a God who will heal all.

     Our time together today begins with two stories, the only stories in the Bible that mention a coat of many colors, called in Hebrew a “ketonet passim”. The first is found in Genesis 37 where Jacob gives the son of his old age, Joseph, a special coat called a “ketonet passim”. And the second is found in 2 Samuel 13 where Tamar the only daughter of David’s children wears a “ketonet passim”. The royal virgin daughters of a king were all signified and set apart by wearing a special robe, but only Tamar’s is called a ketonet passim, a coat of many colors.

     Both Joseph and Tamar held a special place before their fathers just as you and I do before God, our Father. And their robes or coats signified this. Both Joseph and Tamar had their coats taken from them, brutally stolen, both being the objects of lust and coveting by their brothers. In both cases we see the effects of lust and coveting, lost innocence and injustice. Just as the coats were taken from both children by their brothers, the world has many ways to take from us, leaving us to face lost innocence, injustice, and the myriad of feelings that come with this.

      Before God, our Father we are each special and face a world and evil that wants nothing more than to strip us of our special standing, take the peace we have in our Father, and take our coat of many colors from us. Some people will fall prey to lust, coveting and temptation leading to their wanting what they do not have, deceit, temptation and treachery and resulting in others facing pain, injustice, and wanting vengeance to set their worlds right.

     In Josephs story the stripping off of his coat would lead to his being sold into slavery. It was how Joseph responded to the wrongs done to him that allowed God to use him to become a powerful ruler. It was how Joseph responded that protected his peace. Joseph forgave his brothers. He saw his trials as being in God’s hands. Joseph in every difficult circumstance he faced, faced them facing God. Joseph continued to obey and behave in a way honoring to God. He trusted God to get him through and did not take justice into his own hand. In 1 Peter 2:19-23 we are told when we are mindful of God we can endure while suffering unjustly. Christ suffered unjustly and left for us an example to follow; he did not strike back, threaten, sin or deceive, but continued to entrust Himself to Him who judges justly.

     In the story of Tamar and King David’s family we see an entirely different outcome. It was Tamar’s half brother Amnon who lusted after her, deceived everyone, and raped his sister. He stole her innocence, her royal status, and then threw her out. The Bible does not tell us more about Tamar but does tell us of her brother Absalon who was consumed by the injustice and spent years plotting vengeance against his brother Amnon.  Absalon’s response to this injustice stole his peace and affected the lives of everyone around him. When we take vengeance into our own hands, we do so by leaving God out of the picture. We do so by placing ourselves above God.

     Before he was king, Absalon’s father, King David faced much injustice as he ran from King Saul, a crazed king who wanted to kill David who had done only good. As he ran for his life, he did so by keeping God before Him. David saw God as bigger than any problem and threat he faced, just as he did when he faced and conquered Goliath-. David had the opportunity to end his running and to take the life of Saul on several occasions but Davids’s response was “… the Lord must be the judge. He will decide, but my hand shall not be against you.” (1 Sam.24:12)  Throughout the story of Tamar and her family told to us in 1 Samuel we see no good come of Absalon’s not turning the hurt and injustice over to God.

     Our God and Fathers word and His commands to us throughout the Bible serves time and time again as bumper guards to our life in our walk through this world. As we trust and obey His words and direction to us we are guided in such a way that our peace is not shattered even when the world threatens us, steals from us, and when the evil one tempts us, and when we face betrayal and injustice. We each have been given and wear a coat of many colors before our Father. We each are loved and valued as royalty before His eyes, and we each must decide if we will respond in a manner worthy of our calling, in a manner that Jesus modeled for us. We have a place to bring our shame, our injustices and unimaginable hurts. Our Father’s word tells us to bring them to Him, to lay them down before Him, to surrender all to Him.  And as we do so we need to remember that forgiveness is not an optional command given to us. It is given to protect us, it is given to keep us in relationship with God as we trust, obey and surrender all to Him. It is given to us so our peace will not be shattered. It is given knowing that in so many instances the forgiveness we are called to give is beyond our ability, guiding us to the reality that we need to turn to our Father, knowing He can take us to the place of forgiveness, His power in us will guide our steps when our way is dark, and His presence with us will guard our peace.

     As we conclude, lets look at how we are to handle the times when our peace is shattered. First, we need to seek God and ask for His strength in us so we can forgive, so we can surrender our hurts, shame, anger, and desire to take justice into our own hands. Second, we can seek God to guide our steps towards peace as we forgive and allow Him to heal our pain. As we seek God and surrender all our hurt, pain, anger, and all that threatens our peace it brings us back into right relationship with our Father, whose word tells us, forgiveness is not optional. Obeying His word is the path towards our healing.

     As we approach this Easter season and remember all the injustice Jesus faced and endured, let us also remember the power in the gift of forgiveness.

     Please join me in prayer as we close. Father, we thank you for your word to us, always guiding our steps. We ask your blessings upon us that we may always seek your strength to help us follow the example of your son as he walked through this world. Help us Father to surrender all to you, to surrender our hurts, our desire for vengeance, our desire to set our worlds right after we experience suffering, injustice and betrayals. Help us Father to forgive and to face all of life with your presence beside us and your strength and Spirit within us. You alone Father will heal us of every hurt. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen.

Thanks for joining us and until next time, praise God and God bless.