The house is filled with the clamor of war because the heart has not been subdued by the Prince of Peace. It is a sore trial when the hand that should provide shelter strikes the wall of the household with harsh words, calling fat and lazy those whom you should nurture. Yet you must see that fighting back in the flesh will never quench the fire of a carnal temper; it only adds fuel to the flame. Your anger, however provoked, cannot work the righteousness of God. The children cry out for you to cease, and they are wiser than their parents in that moment, for "where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."
This man, though he has received much from your family, remains unsatisfied, proving that the well of earthly provision can never fill the bottomless pit of a discontented soul. He cries, "Peace, peace," where there is no peace. What peace can there be to those whose rebellions are so many? His irritation, his mean speech, his dissatisfaction, these are not the marks of a man at peace with God, but of one whose conscience is lulled to a false calm while his ungodly passions rule. Such a peace is a curse, a stupefaction that will be swept away. He seeks to fill his unrest with more things, but the only cure is a new heart. Without Christ, he has no solid peace, only refuges of lies that the hail shall sweep away.
Your own peace, dear weary soul, must not be sought in his amendment, for that may tarry. You are looking for calm waters by trying to still the tempest with your own hand, but true peace comes not from conquering your husband in argument, nor from silencing his cruelty with your own sharp replies. It is a peace which God the Father gives, for He is the God of all peace; it is a peace which Jesus Christ bought, for He has made peace with His blood, and He is our peace. Go to the Cross if you want to have peace concerning your sins, and his. Bear your sorrow with Him and then see what peace, what perfect peace, you will enjoy, "with sorrows surging round!" This is a peace gleaming with a heavenly light even in the midnight of this world of care. It is not that you are to be a peace unto yourself; your good works are not your peace, nor your tears. HE is our peace.
When the harsh words fall, enter into your closet and plead the blood that whispers peace within. The Lord has endless, boundless peace within Himself, and you may go to Him again and say, "Lord, renew my peace. I am troubled, but You are unmoved, bless me with Your peace." This peace is a present possession and may be enjoyed in the ordinary circumstances of life, even when a husband is mean, even when a child is maligned. "Great peace have all they that love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." Let not your peace be a qualification for grace, as if you must feel tranquil before you can come to Christ. Seek after CHRIST first. Peace will come next. He is the Word of Power, and He breathes peace upon His people expressive of His goodwill, His love, His intense desire for their highest good.
As you go about your duties, as you endure the thronging cares of this fractured home, "go in peace." It is Heaven begun below. Your children speak a truth they scarcely understand when they beg for the fighting to stop. Show them a better way by your own quiet spirit, the unruffled, calm, profound peace of the Eternal Son of God. It is a peace of intense restfulness. And while you cannot control their father's tongue, you may bring your children and your burden to the Lord, for He gives peace. In Jesus' keeping we are safe, and they. The ever-living Christ is always our peace, and His will is that the sorrowing, the slandered, the weary wife should enter into that legacy: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you."
At the last, earth’s struggles soon shall cease. The cruel word, the sting of ingratitude, the daily irritation, these are but the dust of the road to Heaven. It is enough. Jesus has vanquished the sin that rages in our homes and in our hearts, and He calls us to Heaven's perfect peace. Until then, be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Let us not fall. Let us not fall! Though we are blind, and halt, and lame, we have no stronghold but His name.