Peacemaking in God’s timing
Part of our instant gratification culture is that we want everything now – our food is fast, our TV shows are binged, and when something breaks? Well, we have Amazon same-day delivery for that!
But what about conflict?
When conflict doesn’t resolve overnight
Quite often, we find ourselves in the position where, even if both parties are in agreement to work things through, the conflict is not resolved overnight.
This is especially true when it comes to conflicts with spouses, children, and parents – the people who are in our lives permanently.
Indeed, our most difficult conflicts are often with the people we have known for the longest time; a long enough time that they may have committed multiple “wrongs” against us, and we against them!
So, what do we do when we find ourselves in a longstanding conflict? A conflict that requires multiple rounds of the peacemaking pizza? Multiple apologies? A complex, multilayered conflict where the way forward is just not that simple?
Learning to wait on the Lord
Verse 34 from Psalm 37 comes to mind:
“Wait on the Lord, and keep his way.”Psalm 37:34
The peacemaking process can take time, and can involve a lot of waiting. As it says in Ecclesiastes 3:1,
“there is a time for everything”, a “time to plant and a time to uproot”.Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
The same can be true of our peacemaking. Many times there will be a time to reflect and a time to talk; a time to make an apology, a time to accept one; a time to take action and a time to wait.Often, waiting can be the hardest thing in conflict. But waiting does not mean sitting on your hands, doing nothing.
When done in the Spirit, waiting is an act of faith.
We can ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the right time to act, and then we wait for that moment.
We can pray that the other party involved in the conflict will be convicted by the Holy Spirit, and come to peacemaking with open hands, hearts, and eyes.
The key is this: in all things, whether it is to wait or to act, we do so with a heart following after the Lord, and seeking his guidance in His will.
Trusting God’s perfect timing
Complex conflicts take time to resolve. But waiting on the Lord is not wasted time – it is time where he refines us, teaches us patience, and fills us with his peace.
As we wait, we learn to trust not in our own timing, but in his perfect one. And when he calls us to act, we do so with the same posture of humility and love as our Lord Jesus.
As you seek to trust God’s perfect timing in your own relationships, you don’t need to walk the journey alone. Check out our events page for training options and discover how to better equip yourself – and others – to live as peacemakers in today’s world.
This devotion was written by Rachel Sharp. Rachel is a Relationships & Content Manager for PeaceWise.She is passionate about helping people encounter the true peace that Jesus offers, and has seen first-hand the healing and joy that comes when Christians model His peacemaking love. Before joining PeaceWise, Rachel spent several years working in government relations and later in grant writing and cultural engagement with Christian schools across Australia. She now serves with PeaceWise to equip kids and youth to be peacemakers across Australia and beyond. Rachel lives in Melbourne with her husband and three children, and together they worship at Canterbury Gardens Community Church.
