Briefing: Peace officers are men and women who step up to do a job that is not always peaceful in order that other may live in peace. Like the solder who fights for our freedom, freedom is not free, it comes at a price.

Dispatch (Assignment): As a peace officer, how often during your shift does the idea of peace come to mind?

On the Street: If I was on the outside looking in, I would assume that a peace officers goal is to police society to be peaceful. Even as I write this, I’m a little convicted because I don’t go through my day with the thought of peace being my end goal.

I think as we, law enforcement officers, move farther along in our career, we tend to forget about keeping peace. We begin to think that our job is about solving other people’s problems.

Peace is what we have been hired to keep. Peace should be a huge part of who we are. You don’t hire the fox to watch the hen house. We have to be a people (law enforcement officers) of peace. We should be experts on the topic of peace.

With that being said, how do you maintain your peace? Here are some very helpful Proverbs on peace:

Proverbs 3:24 (NIV) says, “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” Who does not want this? How do we achieve this peaceful slumber? Going a few verses up we see, “My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.”

There are a lot of things in this verse that would cause me to lose peace, stumbling in what I do (my job, my marriage), being afraid (this is very anti-peaceful), and being overtaken by sudden disaster or ruin (saved from this by living a life that glorifies God). Are these the kind of things that make you lose peace?

Proverbs 12:20 (NIV), “Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.”

Proverbs 14:1 (HCSB), “Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.”

Proverbs 14:30 (HCSB), “A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones.”

Proverbs 17:1 (NIV), “Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.”

Proverbs 16:7 (NIV), “When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, He causes their enemies to make peace with them.”

Proverbs 19:23 (HCSB), “The fear of the Lord leads to life; one will sleep at night without danger.”

Proverbs 29:17 (NIV), “Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire.”

Proverbs 28:1 (NIV), “The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”

It is amazing how much influence our mouths have over our peace.

Proverbs 14:3 (NIV), “A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them.”

Proverbs 17:14 (HCSB), “To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out.”

Proverbs 19:11-16 (NKJV), “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression. The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass. A foolish son is the ruin of his father, and the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping. Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger. He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, but he who is careless of his ways will die.”

Proverbs 20:3 (HCSB), “It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool can get himself into a quarrel.”

Proverbs 22:10 (HCSB), “Drive out a mocker, and conflict goes too; then quarreling and dishonor will cease.”

Proverbs 24:17-18 (NIV), “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them.”

Proverbs 29:9 (NIV), “If a wise person goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.”

I pray that you find peace in these Proverbs. Our peace comes from a right relationship with Jesus. He is a peace that is not understood by this world but give us peace while we are in this world.

Investigational Resources: 2 Peter 1:2-5, Luke 1:79, John 14:27, Ephesians 2:14, Philippians 4:7, Hebrews 12:14, Matthew 5:5

Officer Safety Principle: You are a peace officer; be a peacemaker.

from The Book of Proverbs Through the Eyes of a Cop
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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