Daily Light from the Lighthouse
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you."
John 14:27
"Peace be with you."
John 20:19
The night before Jesus was crucified He sat with His disciples and tried to prepare their hearts for what was about to take place. While they did not understand all that He was saying, in that moment they were given the greatest gift that He could offer them: peace. Jesus knew that for the next few hours and even days they would be fearful and doubtful. They would face an uncertainty that was unimaginable at the moment that He offered them this peace.
Fast forward to several days later and you will find the disciples huddled into a room with the door shut tightly. Somehow they have survived the horror of the last few days. One of their own was found to be the one who betrayed Jesus. The unspoken leader of the group is in great distress after having admitted to denying that he even knew Jesus. The rest of them were no better because they fled in their Messiah's hour of need. Suddenly, in the midst of their turmoil, Jesus steps into the room and offers them peace once again. His offer is not one of prosperity or better times but simply peace that passes all understanding.
It seems very reasonable to come to this conclusion when looking at these offers in context: If Jesus promises and gives peace before and after a trial, there is no doubt that we have His peace in the midst of the trial. He is completely aware of what you will face this day and the days ahead. He knows every "bump in the road" and every tragedy that may strike. His gift to us is peace before we ever face the difficulty. When the trials come, He is with us in the midst of our storm. As a matter of fact, while we are busily bailing water from the boat trying to keep it from sinking, Jesus is peacefully asleep. Why? Is it because He doesn't care? No. It is simply the fact that He knows the outcome. There is no panic on His part. We have to learn to rest when He rests, and be still and know that He is God. Finally, when He speaks and the once troubled waters are as smooth as glass, we bow before Him with a peace that passes all understanding and say, "My Lord and my God!"
Peace is only as good as the source of the peace. We will be offered it from multiple sources in this life, but at the end of all things we will conclude that the only peace that amounted to any thing was from the One that we call both Everlasting and the Prince of Peace.
May you have peace through His name today!
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