The Promise of Peace
“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
Read John 14:27-31
The Promise of Peace
Remember televised beauty pageants when the emcee would ask one of the contestants, “If you become Miss America, what do you hope to accomplish?” There was always someone who would immediately smile and respond, “World peace!”
Well, good luck with that! Everyone would like world peace, but one of the common threads throughout the history of mankind has been a definite lack of peace. Wars and rumors of wars have been the rule rather than the exception.
In fact, as we celebrate another Independence Day this week, we recognize that the United States was birthed in wartime. The Revolutionary War was a violent, blood-stained way to achieve “peace.” In nearly 2½ centuries since then, our nation has been engaged in one war after another. We hope for peace, but war keeps getting in the way.
For some of us, peace also has been conspicuously absent in our personal lives: Stress and deadline pressures at work. Turmoil at home – conflict in marriages and/or with rebellious children. Financial challenges. Health concerns. Not to mention the relentless barrage of bad news we’re subjected to daily through the media.
Where can we find peace?
In the passage above, Jesus was seeking to comfort His small band of disciples who couldn’t understand what was about to happen. After witnessing spectacular miracles, listening to His life-changing sermons, and observing His life, the disciples were feeling very unsettled, even fearful. Jesus’ words and actions seemed to be shouting that major, unwanted changes were coming soon.
This is why the Lord declared to them, “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.” He was seeking to provide them with the assurance that no matter what happened, it was all going to work out according to God’s perfect plan.
Note that the peace Jesus was offering was “not as the world gives.” In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, the prophet denounced the false prophets who were proclaiming, “‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all” (Jeremiah 6:14, 8:11). The world around us presents all sorts of suggestions for finding peace. Everything from shiny new toys to time-wasting distractions to mind-numbing drugs and alcohol. But as many people have discovered, there’s no peace in those.
The peace Jesus promised His disciples – and promises to each of us today – is what the apostle Paul was referring to when he wrote in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
We see the same assurance in the Old Testament, where another prophet, Isaiah, declared, “The steadfast of mind You [Lord] will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).
Perhaps your life seems relatively peaceful at the moment. Thank the Lord for that. But experience has shown you that can change at any moment. On the other hand, maybe your life seems like a tornado that refuses to blow away. Even in the midst of the storm, Jesus promises, we can find rest in His peace “which transcends all understanding.”
As He told His disciples, He is saying to us: “Trust Me.”