PEACE TO YOU

 APRIL 25, 2022

John 14:27

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.

Micah 5:4-6

4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.

5 And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians invade our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
even eight commanders,
6 who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,
the land of Nimrod with drawn sword.
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
when they invade our land
and march across our borders.





Let me ask you this, have you ever awakened after a nights rest knowing that no matter what the day brought, everything was going to be fine? Peace is a wonderful feeling, isn’t it. We know it when we experience it, and if we are honest, we all want more of it. “I just need a little peace,” we often say.

In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Jesus doesn’t say we won’t have trouble; He says we don’t have to let ourselves be troubled. We can experience peace. Peace is a resting in the knowledge that we are held by a good God, and this knowledge provides us with a confidence about life. I do not believe for one second that God wants us to live a “troubled” existence, therefore I believe wholeheartedly that we can live in peace wherever life takes us, and whatever life takes us through, we can walk confidently through the peace the God brings into out lives.

This steadfast peace comes from knowing God, experiencing God, and trusting God with the fine points of our lives. Just like we note in the Bible’s image of sheep in the care of a good shepherd. “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:4).

I am not suggesting that experiencing God’s peace is a snap. The Christian life is a beautiful and fulfilling journey as we daily offer space for God to work. You see, No matter what situations are that we go through, the Bible and our lived experience tells us that we are not slugging it out alone, but that we have someone watching over us. Yes, at times we can’t always see God’s hand at work, but believe me we can rest secure in knowing God is on the scene. There is a worship song that puts it like this: “God works in ways we cannot see,” and then boldly the song declares, “He will make a way for me.” If we can believe and trust truth like this, the “peace of God that passes all understanding” is not far from us.

TAKE AWAY

How do you bring peace to your daily life?

What do you do when you feel someone or something around you getting ready to disrupt your peaceful day or peaceful place?

How can you help bring peace to someone’s life today?