Weekly Meditation

Peace Child

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 5:1

It is a happy day when we finally experience peace with God through faith in Christ. There are times though that we break that peace. Sin causes division. The longer the separation continues, the more difficult it becomes to confess our sin. The Lord is always ready to restore the relationship. Yet, because of all of the conflict we witness and read about in our world, part of us may need reminding that we can still have peace with God.

In Don Richardson’s book, Peace Child, he tells of the mission that he and his wife Carol managed in New Guinea. Their child was 17 months old at the time. They shared Christ with a tribe called the Sawi. Most of us would describe them as savage.

The tribesmen considered headhunting, cannibalism, and treachery as virtues. For example, when told the gospel of Christ, they considered Judas, not Jesus, to be the hero. Don despaired of ever reaching them.

The warfare between the Sawi and neighboring tribes grew so intense that Don and Carol decided to abandon the mission and leave. But when the Sawi heard of it, they were disturbed because they had grown fond of the Richardsons. To prevent them from leaving, the Sawi met in a special session and decided to make peace.

The next day as Don watched with mounting curiosity, the peace ritual began. Young children from the warring villages were to be exchanged, and as long as any of those children were alive, the peace would continue.

It was an agonizing ritual, for every mother feared her child would be taken. But after a period of emotional indecision, the chief himself grabbed his only son and rushed toward the enemy tribe, literally giving the future of his tribe to his enemies. In return, he received a son from the other side. Peace descended across the mountains.

As Don considered the significance of the ceremony, he realized there was a powerful redemptive analogy. Shortly afterward, gathering the elders together, he told them how God the Heavenly Father sent Jesus to earth as His Peace Child to make peace between God and man. It was a lesson they understood and embraced.

God the Father has sent us His only begotten Son for our peace. He lives and the door to our peace with the Father is always open. Walk through it.

Pastor George