Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/Aug 87

Contributor - Rev. Art VanderMeulen

Title - In the Summertime

Topic - Peace

In the western sky, the last glimpse of the sun can be caught between the trees as it makes its descent. The eastern sky is being overcome by the encroaching darkness. As the transition from day to night occurs, the world changes. Daytime sounds become muted and dulled. The limit of our vision is reduced to whatever is illumined by the soft glow of the light of the campfire. Off in the darkness the squeaky sound of cricket violins interrupt the stillness of the night air, with unnerving irregularity. The occasional hoot of a night owl lends its mournful sound to the growing cacophony of night sounds. Under the cloak of darkness, the now bold frogs begin, at first one by one, and then in discordant unity, to express their joy at the return of night-time peace.

It is in being a part of a scene like this that we are reminded that there is more to life than what we experience day by day. In the summertime, more than any other time in the rest of the year, we take the time to get back to nature. We think that the best way to get away from the hectic pace of the world in which we live, which we have made for ourselves, is to spend some time away from the pressures of that world. So we turn to "the world the way God made it" and try to recapture some sense of the peacefulness of life that we don't find elsewhere.

God gave us this world to enjoy, so it is good when we find ways to do this. However, we should not think that it is in this world that we will find the peace for this life that we so desperately need.

Jesus said to his disciples and to us, "Peace I leave with you; my place I give you." (John 14:27) It is the peace that Jesus gives that will satisfy the deepest longing. This peace is not a psychological rest which at best salvages our sanity for the summer. It is the inward knowing that you belong to God, and that he cares for you.

We can't find this peace by watching a sunset, or a sunrise, or a campfire. We can only find this peace through the Word of God: reading the written Word, and living with the Loving Word; and being led by the Holy Spirit.

In my life I experience this peace as a kind of security, knowing that no matter what happens, it will be okay, because my life is in God's hands.

In your search for peace in life, start with the Word of God. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide your understanding, and trust in God to care for and about you. "And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

Have a GREAT summer!! Shalom.

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