On November 26, six Friends gathered to pray for peace in the world on Independence Mall. The following piece was written by John Gallery.
The Peace of God
A year and a half ago I started out seeking to do something to express my concern for peace in the world. What I found along the way was a sense of personal peace I did not know I had. Reflecting on this experience has made me recall the distinction Jesus made between two kinds of peace. "Peace be with you," he said, "my peace I bring to you. Not the peace of men but the peace of God."
When someone comes up to me during the prayer vigil and asks about peace, I talk in terms of the continued US bombings of Iraq, the civil war in Sierra Leone, the fighting between Palestine and Israel. Peace is the absence of such events, a time when people are not fighting and killing one another. In these terms peace is external, something you can see and experience. Such a peace can be created by treaties, truces and cease fires; by adequate defense systems in a cold war. But such peace is fragile, easily broken or lost because there is no certainty that the underlying causes have changed. This is the peace of men.
The peace of God seems closer to what we mean by the phrase "inner peace." Recently I have been able to test my own level of inner peace, of how close I am to the peace of God. Several months ago I learned that I had prostate cancer. There is a point in the evaluation of prostate cancer when you learn you have it, but you don't know how advanced it is and whether it can be successfully treated or not. For me that period lasted about two weeks. While waiting for the test results I was looking for something in my journals and came across the entries I had written during a similar two week period many years ago when I had taken my first blood test for AIDS and was waiting for the results. Those entries are filled with speculations about death, fear of death, and descriptions of two weeks spent in a state of nervous anticipation, going about the normal events of my life in a state of inner terror. I can still recall my incredible sense of relief when the test was negative, and similar states of anxiety I experienced each subsequent time I took this test.
By comparison the two weeks between my prostate cancer tests were quite calm. There was a sense of inner peace that I did not have before, a sense of peace I still feel now. And so I have wondered how I came to this, what it was that changed in the last ten years that has enabled me to handle a life threatening illness so differently.
Buddhism has taught me that inner peace is not something you can seek. It is a by-product that comes from a commitment to spiritual practice, in this case the practice of meditation. Peace comes as a result of learning to be detached, learning not to strive for things of the world for they are impermanent anyhow. Although I do not know much about Islam, a book I am reading tells me that the word Muslim means someone who has surrendered to God, and, it is implicitly understood, has found peace as a result. Some modern scholars use the word commitment instead of surrender. A Muslim's commitment to God is also reflected in a commitment to spiritual practice, in this case the practice of daily prayer and generosity. Peace is a by-product of that commitment, too.
Where does my sense of peace come from? Most mornings I start my day with a form of Tai Chi I have adapted from one developed by Justin Stone. I call it Tree Energy Tai Chi because I do it with a tree as a partner. My first moves bend low to remind me that the root system of the tree extends unseen deep beneath the ground. My next moves extend upward to remind me that the branches of the tree are flexible and adjust to the changing circumstances of wind and rain and snow. If the tree were not grounded in its deep root system, the branches could not flex and bend — the tree would just be uprooted by the storms and blown away. But if the branches were not flexible, the storms would simply shatter the tree. This is a good analogy for the way I feel. I am rooted, grounded in something deep and unseen that allows me to be flexible, to adjust to this storm passing through my life without being blown away or shattered by it.
For me this grounding is an unequivocal trust in God. I trust that God is present in my life at all times, that God is guiding my life and in doing so is always acting for my good. It is this trust in God that brings me peace, not a peace that is merely neutral, an absence of desires or attachments, or a peace that is external, but a peace that permeates my body and fills me with joy and happiness.
Trust has come from a commitment to turn the focus of my attention to God on a consistent basis without being certain what the results of that will be, or whether there will be any results at all. Once that commitment was made and my heart open to God, that appears to have been enough for God to have come rushing in. This commitment to turn the focus of my life to God came ten years ago when I began attending Quaker meeting. Since that first day I have tried to turn my heart fully to God, to be open to whatever comes from that and to be willing to follow it faithfully. My trust is the result of an empirical process, of seeing God's presence in my life. I know with certainty that I am not separate from God, that God is with me at all times, and that God is always acting for my good, in a way that is appropriate to my spiritual life whether I understand it or not. And it is that certainty, that trust, which has enabled me to rest in the peace of God. As A Course in Miracles puts it so beautifully:
"I rest in God." Completely undismayed this thought will carry you through storms and strife, past misery and pain, past loss and death, and onward to the certainty of God. There is no suffering it cannot heal. There is no problem it cannot solve. And no appearance but will turn to truth before the eyes of you who rest in God. There is no peace except the peace of God.
At this time of year, may we remember the distinction Jesus taught and renew our commitment to turn our hearts completely to God, for with that will come peace, the peace of God, without which there will never be a true and lasting peace on earth.
May the peace of God be with you.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE
Independence Mall Vigil for PeacePlease join us at our weekly prayer vigils for peace in the world, held in front of the Liberty Bell on Market St. between 5th and 6th, every Sunday from 4 to 5 PM. For more information, contact cityquake@aol.com.
In our reports, participants share their experiences of the prayer vigils and explore beliefs related to their participation. Reports reflect the experience of each author and do not necessarily represent the beliefs or practice of all vigil participants. We welcome your responses, which are forwarded to the individual authors (when possible). We sometimes include part of a response in a future report, unless you ask us not to.
It is meaningful to us that you share in the vigils by reading these reports and in other ways, such as joining us in prayer.
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM