Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire. Psalm 46.8-9
Here, the psalmist calls to all to see God's works, to appreciate what He does. And what does he point to? Certainly, one thing that stands out is that 'He makes wars cease to the end of the earth'. Peace on earth! Isn't this the desire of all? But how is it that God brings the end of wars? 'He has brought desolations on the earth.' Desolations? That sounds bad. And it is. The psalmist explains how it is that God ends warfare and brings peace. 'He breaks the bow and shatters the spear.' He destroys the weapons of war. Whose weapons? Go back to an earlier part of the Psalm.'The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.' The God of Israel brings peace by destroying the weapons of the nations that rage against His people. He brings peace by devastating and conquering the enemies of the people of God.
This is not something limited to the days of ancient Israel. The Psalms belong to the Church. So, all of this is a picture of what He will do for us. The Church fights against the world. It is warfare. But we know that one day there will be peace. And that is because all of the enemies of the Church and of the Gospel that it declares will be conquered. Their weapons will be destroyed. Jesus is working toward that today. The day will come when the world arrayed against Jesus will be utterly defeated. The day will come when the world will become the Church. Finally, there will be peace.