A Peaceful and Quiet Life

A Peaceful and Quiet Life.  Simple usually wins the day. The simplest design usually withstands the elements. The simplest explanation usually sways the debate. The simplest machine usually loosens the bolt. The simplest gesture usually stores itself into the long-term memory of the most unsuspecting recipient. Simple, which is not the same as saying simplistic, is strong. Simplistic is often nothing more than laziness, but deliberate simplicity is courageous, ardent, and rare.

The effect, for which the Apostle Paul urges the church to pray, is surprisingly straightforward; it is simply simple. Within our simplicity before God resides our strength. “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). The that we in Paul’s exhortation forms a purpose clause, which could be accurately paraphrased this way: pray for all people, whether they are neighbors or leaders, toward this one purpose, that we all might be able to live a simple life, peaceful and quiet, freely reverent to God and generously respectful to others. I find that while I cannot say Amen to every prayer that is uttered, I can say Amen to that prayer every time it is repeated! The simple life is not a boring life, but both rich and enriching, because from a simple life grows contentment. The complex life might seem exciting, and it is for a start. But complexity is exhausting. It might be necessary and manageable for a time, but not for a lifetime. Simplicity, then, is the God-given freedom, not from trouble, but from unnecessary complexity.

Therefore, I have a new aspiration in life, which is happily free from ambition: to lead a peaceful and quiet life before God, for in that fertile field anything might grow.