Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
–John 14:27
What would your last words of advice be? If you had a moment to offer inspiration to your loved ones, what would you say?
In today’s verse, at His Last Supper, Jesus gives His going-away speech to His beloved friends.
He calmly sends Judas on his way to betrayal and then turns to His disciples with encouraging words.
“Here is My peace,” He says. “Don’t let it go.”
This invisible, intangible spirit of calm He speaks over His friends isn’t a shallow temporary fix — a glass of wine, a warm shower, a drug-induced apathy. Jesus gives true calm in the center of a world-turning storm. Peace is theirs whatever the circumstance.
Fear and peace occupy the same slot in our spirits. Both can’t be there at once. One will push out the other. We can’t control our circumstance, but we can control our feeling. Fixating on problems or pessimistic presuppositions pushes peace out of our spirits. But prayer, meditating on scripture, keeping God close, grows peace instead.
Jesus offers us a peace beyond understanding — peace regardless of circumstance.
If we ask, He gives. We knock. He opens the door. If we keep our focus on Him, His peace is ours.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, Thank You for giving me Your peace. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and erase every fear I have. Thank You for loving me. I love You, too. Amen.
Reflection
In what ways have I experienced God’s “peace that surpasses all understanding?”