Verse By Verse Devotional On 2 Corinthians By Pastor Jack #55

A Peace Not From God

2:12-13  "Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia."

The apostle Paul had no rest for his spirit in Troas because of his concern for the Corinthians. It shows us that there is a peace that is not from God.

In Phil.4:7 we are given instructions as to how to obtain the peace which comes from God. But this is not the only kind of peace there is. Many times in the Bible a peace is mentioned which is opposed to God.

If you compromise Christ or His truth for the sake of peace, it is not a peace which is of God.

Eccl.3:8 says there is a time for war. That means there is a time when peace is inappropriate.

The prophet Jeremiah decries those who cover over problems with false assurances: "They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace." (6:14)

Paul says we should weep with those who weep (Rom.12:15) and that all the members of the body should suffer when one member suffers (1Cor.12:26). If instead of weeping and suffering we are at peace when others weep and suffer, it is a sinful peace. God has commanded us to be disturbed on behalf of our brother.

It was Christ-like of Paul to "have no rest for his spirit" while awaiting news from Titus. If Paul had been at ease when the faith of the Corinthians hung in the balance, it would not have been a righteous mindset. It would have been a peace not from God. At this point, God wanted Paul disturbed. It was an unrest born of love.

There are times when God wants us disturbed, just as there are times when God wants us at peace (of course, there is a level of peace which should reside always in the heart of a believer). The challenge is being at rest when it’s time to be at rest and being disturbed when it’s time to be disturbed. We tend to get them backwards. We are often disturbed at those times when God calls us to peace, like when we are faced with trouble or persecution or fears about the future. That’s when God says, "Rejoice and be glad" (Matt.5:12) and "Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on" (Matt.6:25).

And often we are at peace when God wants us disturbed. We are laid back about the spiritual war raging around us when God says to be urgent and alert and on guard. We are at peace when the faith of our brethren is being shaken, instead of burning with intense concern (2Cor.11:29). When the name of God is mocked or dragged through the mud I am rarely disturbed, but when someone insults me, then I get upset. God wants just the opposite.

I was counseling a mother once whose son was not doing so well with the Lord. She said something like this to me: "I’m not going to let it bother me. I know that it’s all in God’s hands. I just figure if he wants to live his own life apart from the Lord, there’s nothing I can do about it."

I said to her, "Actually it is your duty to be bothered by how your son is doing with the Lord. It is easy to want to avoid the pain and grief of the real possibility of him not walking with the Lord and not going to heaven, but you must not let yourself do so. Jesus cried over Jerusalem because of its lack of faith, and you must cry over your son’s lack of faith. Paul burned with godly jealousy when the faith of his spiritual children wavered and you must do the same for your son. That’s part of loving him: you must care about how he’s doing. And you must be willing to hurt for him and grieve for him and shed tears in your prayers for him. You MUST let it bother you."

There is a time to be at peace and a time to be disturbed. Paul was properly disturbed about the Corinthians. May God help us to do everything at its appointed time (Eccl.3:1).

O Father, Your Son taught us that in order to be Your disciples we must be willing to carry our cross every day. Help me to carry the cross of grief and inner turmoil when those you have commanded me to love are not doing well. As Paul had no rest in his spirit when the Corinthians’ faith was hanging in the balance, so let me have no rest when others are struggling or suffering or being attacked. And please make me a prayer warrior for those who are hurting or whose faith is wavering.