A few weeks ago, Barbara Walters hosted a television special called, The Ten Most Fascinating People of 2002. One of the people she interviewed was Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy’s wife, Sharon, has recently been going through chemotherapy treatments for colon cancer.
Ozzy broke down in tears as he discussed that great trial of their lives. Within the context of their discussion of that crisis, as well as other issues of his life, Barbara Walters asked Osbourne, “Do you have peace?” Without hesitation, he answered, “No, I don’t. I would give anything to have peace.”
I couldn’t help but be touched by both his demeanor and his honest response to her question. I’ve never been a fan of Ozzy Osbourne and, in fact, forbade my children from listening to him when they were small. I find his music repulsive, sometimes even evil. However, as I watched this program I saw beyond the music and got a glimpse of the man. What I saw was a man just like you and me – a man who, at the deepest level of his being, wants one thing more than anything else. He wants peace.
Ozzy Osbourne is one of the most famous rock singers who has ever recorded a song. Crowds throng him when he goes out in public. He has more money than most of us can dream of ever having. He lives in a luxurious home on the beach. By the world’s standards, he has it all. But he lacks one thing – peace.
Do you have peace? Early Christians used the words “grace and peace” as a common greeting when they saw each other. The Apostle Paul began most of his epistles with this common salutation. The word grace (charis) was a Greek greeting that communicated the idea of receiving unexpected and undeserved benefits in a person’s life. “Peace” (shalom) is the Hebrew word which denotes an overall sense of well being in life.
God wants us to know His peace, but the gateway to peace is His grace. God’s grace comes to us in the person of Jesus Christ. As we trust Him to be our very life, we will experience what Paul called, “the peace of God that passes all understanding.” We will discover the reality of the Bible’s promise that “[Jesus] Himself is our peace.”
Are you facing trials in your own life? The source of peace in any circumstance is Jesus Christ. Ozzy said that he would give anything to have peace. However, the truth of the matter is that we don’t have to give anything to possess it. God has already given everything necessary for us to know peace when He gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sin.
Don’t restlessly struggle in your circumstances. Trust Jesus Christ and find peace that surpasses all understanding. Pray right now, casting yourself and your circumstances completely onto Jesus. He will be your peace. And while you’re praying, pray for Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne. Like us, they’re hungry for God’s peace too.
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