Peace in the World

One hundred years ago, on this day in 1913, the nations of the Balkans (in Eastern Europe) signed “The Treaty of Bucharest,” bringing an end to the Second Balkan War. The agreement formally reversed some of the outcomes of the First Balkan War, which had been fought earlier the same year. Borders were redrawn, control shifted.

However, while this treaty technically ended the fighting, no one was satisfied. As Viscount Grey, the British Foreign Secretary, later recalled, feelings continued to run deep. “Any future Balkan peace was impossible so long as the treaty of Bucharest remained.” These nations would continue to look for ways to exact revenge.

Rather than solving problems, this treaty intensified the frustrations, anger, and divisions in the region. Within the year, conflicts in the Balkans had lit a spark that led to the horrors of World War I.

How often the solutions proposed by men are temporary, at best. In Jeremiah’s time, many leaders said they understood the problems that plagued their people, and they proclaimed a message of “Peace, peace.” They described how their actions would “heal the brokenness.” Yet the healing was merely superficial and did not last.

Jeremiah waited for the promises of peace to be fulfilled “but no good came.” He looked for “a time of healing” but instead found terror.

Do you want real peace? Remember that man’s solutions are short-lived and temporary. If you want real answers, make sure that you seek God and obey His Word. Seek His wisdom, and trust in Him.

Today, make sure Jesus is your Lord, for “He Himself is our peace.” He heals relationships and breaks down dividing walls (Ephesians 2:14). He alone can provide a peace that lasts, “not as the world gives” (John 14:27).