Peace. Simply put: to be at rest. Some see it as the absence of confict but I want to show you that we can be at peace in the midst of a storm.
I’ve been reading in Luke for over a month now but the last few days I have been reading about the final days of Jesus life. He was celebrating the Feast of the Passover with his disciples. He told them that the broken bread and the wine represented what was about to happen to Him. He told them He would be betrayed.
Do you know their reaction? They began arguing about which one of them would do such a thing and then they began to argue about which one of them was the most important to Jesus.
Oh, my goodness!!! If I had been Jesus I would have left them all. But instead, Jesus began telling them that He was praying for them and gave them instruction on how to live once he was gone.
He took them to the garden where He went to pray. He told them they needed to pray so that they could remain strong. Jesus then withdrew, going a little farther and prayed for Himself. He knew what was about to happen.
In His humanity, He didn’t want to face the cross and the horrible death of crucifixion but in His divinity, He knew he was the only one who could be the sinless sacrifice. Only He could be the one to redeem us all and reconcile us to the Father.
“He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” I John 2:2 NLT
He went through great conflict and turmoil in battling His mind and emotions but came to peace, He was resolved in His spirit!
When Judas betrayed Him with a kiss there was no ridicule or retaliation, when the soldiers were placing him under arrest there was no fight. He was at peace!
Jesus was living the words He spoke to the disciples hours earlier.
“I leave you peace. It is my own peace I give you. I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don’t be troubled. Don’t be afraid.” John 14:27 ERV
The Apostle Paul tells us this:
“Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. 7 Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.” Philippians 4:6-7 CEV
Are you in the middle of a storm today – do you feel like you’re about to be crucified? Perhaps you’ve received an adverse medical report or it could be your company is planning massive layoffs and your future is uncertain. Whatever you are facing rely on the kind of peace that only God can give.
In the midst of the storm, don’t be troubled, don’t be afraid; let the peace of God control the way you think and feel.