Peace He Gives

John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

We’ve been doing the Elijah study by Priscilla Shirer at our church over the past few weeks. Tonight, we were talking about God’s promises. Claire asked us to think of 3 promises from God that we could use to share with others through the things we are passionate about. So, I feel like I have a homework assignment. My passion is writing and the promise that immediately came to mind is, “My peace I give to you.” I wrote about this scripture before, how it struck me that Jesus said, “My peace”. He didn’t say I’ll give you some peace, just random peace. NO! This is the peace of God.

Bear with me as I walk through some definitions. Webster's defines peace as; “a state of tranquility or quiet, freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions, or harmony in personal relations.” The Greek word for peace is εἰρήνη (i-ray'-nay), which means “wholeness”. Strong’s Lexicon expounds on the translation with, “The Messiah’s peace being the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.” When we think of the world’s peace as being just a state of tranquility verses God’s peace as being a soul assured of salvation, there couldn’t be any bigger difference in the peace that a believer has verses that of a non-believer. Our peace is in eternity, not here, in the turmoil and heartache we face every day. It is in the hope that once we leave this world, we will live for eternity in the majestic glory of our Lord and Savior. Can a believer lose their peace? Of course. When we start to focus on what is in front of us and swirling around us, we can lose focus on what is yet to come.

I am usually an optimist, the glass is not just half full, but pretty much overflowing, kind of person. I can usually find something positive even in the most negative of situations, or at least find some humor in the situation to lighten the mood. However, in our current culture and political climate, even the most optimistic person can find themselves shaking in fear of what may happen. Just tonight I read that Russia is heightening their nuclear readiness. A shot of fear went through me, but within a moment, I recalled the promise that we talked about in bible study tonight and I recalled that I have God’s peace. I know the end of the story and my life is securely held in the creator of the universe. They will fight against you, but they will not [ultimately] prevail over you, for I am with you [always] to protect you and deliver you,” says the LORD. Jeremiah 1:19

The first thought that is probably in your head right now is, “Yea, but Christy, a nuclear bomb will harm me.” Yes, physically we can be harmed or lose our life, but nothing can take away the future we have with Christ. During these times of constant reminders of our mortality, from a pandemic to now a possible threat of world war, the peace He gives us is that nothing can separate us from Him. Even death. That is how a believer can walk through the darkest, scariest times of our lifetime and sing, “It is well with my soul," because the confidence and peace we have comes from God. It is not man made; it is not something we have to conjure up for ourselves. As a child of God, it is a free gift that He gives us to live in His peace.

As I write this, I am reminded that there are those who do not have that free gift. They are living through these terrifying times without the knowledge that I have, that we as believers have within us. It hurts my heart to think that just within my reach are people that have no idea what real peace is. We have a huge responsibility to share this truth with those that are within our reach. One of the themes of this bible study Claire taught us is, “If you can reach them, you can teach them.” Who has God given you to reach and teach? Someone came to your mind when you read this. That person needs to know the peace that Christ gives us can overcome any fear the world throws our way.

I don’t think we can rationally deny the fact that we are living in the end times. We have a front row seat to the book of Revelations on our TV screens and social media every day. That, of course, can fill us with fear, but when we view it through the lens of peace that Jesus gives us, we can see if for the blessing that it is. What an exciting thought that we could be the generation that is taken up in a blink of the eye?!? We could be the ones to witness the trumpets and the flying through the air to meet Him in heaven. David Jeremiah says, “I’m not looking for the undertaker, I’m looking for the upper taker.” I want to live like that. I want to live in holy expectation of the promised future that Christ has given to me. In all honesty that is the only way we can live if we do not want to be weighed down with unwanted fear.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight The clouds be rolled back as a scroll The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend Even so, it is well with my soul

It is well (it is well) With my soul (with my soul) It is well, it is well with my soul