Peace I Leave With You
John 14:27
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.
Do you know the secret of a peaceful life? Many books and articles have been written on this subject, and yet peace of heart escapes so many of us. We are living on a fast lane and many things cause us restlessness and great trouble. Daily, we witness conflicts between people groups, nations, political parties, religious groups, churches, and even individual Christians. There’s also internal conflict in the form of anxiety and stress. Where can we find peace?
A story is told of a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried their hand, and hundreds of pictures of peace lined the king’s distinguished throne room. As the king went through the stack of portraits one in particular caught his attention. This was a picture of mountains that were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, filled with lightening, thunderstorms and falling rain. Down the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. The environment did not look peaceful at all, but on close observation, there was an amazing view behind the waterfall. A tiny bush was growing in a crack in the rock shelter and there, in the midst of the rush of angry water, the grey thundering raining skies, and the wind rushing the rugged and bare mountain, sat a mother bird on her nest of eggs, in perfect peace. Amen
What the king understood is that peace can happen anywhere, at any time, and in any heart that truly commits to it. Peace then is not something that depends on a serene environment, with the perfect combination of factors, where nothing distracts or threatens or surprises, but rather a state of mind
So much could have distracted and discouraged the little bird. She could have said, This is a lousy place to build a nest. I’m going to wait for that perfect lake with the perfect mountains and the perfect clear sky. That will be the place to make my nest and have my family. If she had tried that she would still be looking, because no life can be that perfect and that serene—not if you want to be engaged and connected with other human beings and with the world and even with yourself, not if you want to love and be loved, and not if you want to grow as a person.
Instead, she stayed where she was. She made her home in an imperfect place, even, one could say, a harsh place. She found a little tiny corner behind the rushing water, that seemed, in the moment, to be safe enough to dream of a future. Then she did the bravest thing of all, she entrusted the life of her children to that imperfect place. She literally put all her eggs in one basket.
Jesus promised us that " in this world we will have troubles and tribulations, John 16:33. But He also promised a peace that will keep your mind safe—and who wouldn’t want that? He said: I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give (John 14:27). This doesn’t mean our circumstances will feel peaceful. It doesn’t mean all our relationship troubles and hardships suddenly get better. Nor does it mean the prayers we pray suddenly all get answered. But what it does mean is our mind can be steadied when we stand on His promises instead of being overrun with thoughts of fear, anxiety and worst-case scenarios.
Prayer
Thank you Jesus for your voice that breaks through the greatest wind and storm swirling around us, and whispers “Peace, be still.”
I pray that no matter what we go through in this life, or what we're up against today, we may not be shaken.
To know that in You We're safe.
At rest.
At peace.
In Jesus name
Amen