“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.” John 14:27
Peace is an interesting concept. Most of us think of peace as a lack of conflict, no struggles occurring and it is normally a temporary state. The peace I am referring to is the peace that you see in someone who is going through a sickness, financial ruin, relationship destruction and they are not consumed by the situation. They are facing the challenge, the problem, and they know that they are in God’s hands, that God is in control and is there with them each step of the way. It is an inner peace that you can experience even though there is conflict and struggle around you.
When my husband and I were trying to have children I was unable to carry beyond 6 weeks, which resulted in several miscarriages. In the middle of this struggle, I decided that I needed to give it all to God. This took a while, but eventually I was able to release my desire at how we were to have children and embraced how God was going to give us children. My husband did this much quicker than I did but I got there. Around that time, I had a co-worker who asked me how I could seem to be at peace about all of this when I was not able to have the child I wanted.
As we talked, she told me that she sensed this underlying peace and calmness in me that she clearly did not understand. I did not understand it either at times and when I would try to figure it out, I was reminded to simply ‘be at peace’ because God had this under control. The peace that Jesus gives is not anything that we are able to accomplish without Him.
One of the wonderful things that came out of that time was that God used my situation to encourage my co-worker to build her personal relationship with Him. I had not realized that the peace that God gave me was as visible as it was. This is what prompted my co-worker to approach me about it. Just when I thought that my husband and I were facing this struggle alone, God showed me and others that He is walking right beside us through each situation. We are never alone.
I am glad that Jesus is willing to give me His peace because the peace of the world is only temporary and His is eternal.
Have you accepted His peace yet?