May 31 - Peace

May 31 – Peace

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 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.

“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. Come now; let us leave. “ (John 14:22-31)

This passage is filled with great teachings and assurances from Jesus, but today I want to focus on peace.  “Peace I leave you … my peace I give you.”

Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Right now there are so many of us who yearn for some sort of peace.  Maybe it is as obvious as having a loved one in a war zone and we pray for peace to come so they can return to us safely.  Or maybe it is a cancer scare or another health scare for ourselves or someone we love. Or maybe our job situation is extraordinarily stressful and we can’t see a way to escape from it.  Or maybe there isn’t a job available. Or maybe our home life is filled with stress, due to a spouse or even a child.

It is hard for most any of us to say that we know true peace.

We lose sleep, we snap and bite at the people around us, we explode with unexplained rage, we jam our feelings down inside, hoping to hide them away, we dull the pain with pills or alcohol, food or any other type of addiction.

We are not at peace.

Yet Jesus not only promises peace, He promises His peace.

There are bumper stickers and postcards that say, “Know Jesus; Know Peace.  No Jesus; No Peace.”

It’s more than just knowing Him … it’s the next part of the passage in John.  “I do not give as the world gives … Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not be afraid.”

We won’t know peace when we try to do it alone, when we try to find it in the things that are familiar to us.  We won’t know peace when we are attempting to cope with all of the mess around us by ourselves in our own way.

It is extremely difficult to step away from the problem and release it.  Jesus may call on you to manage the physical properties – whether it is taking the chemotherapy for cancer, or treatments for another ailment, or leave an abusive situation.  But, we don’t have to be responsible for it all by ourselves.

He wants us to learn to trust Him and in that trust, in the open relationship that we have with Him … the conversations (yes, out loud), the prayers, the pleadings, we will find peace and we will find hope.