PEACE (Part 2)
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
GREAT PEACE
How often do we find ourselves in the midst of 'troubled waters'? How often do we find ourselves struggling in protracted winter seasons of life? These seasons are sure to come in our journey through life! But what does the scriptures say about these moments and seasons of difficulty and challenge?
Our passage today John 14:27 echoes the voice of our master, Jesus! 'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 'My peace I give you'. This is indeed an emphatic statement! Jesus has peace and His peace He has given to us. Notice this important fact: He has given us His peace. Isaiah 9:6 calls Jesus the prince of peace. 'For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace'.
Jesus has peace and this peace he has given to us. But why? It is for the journey...for our journey through life. You see, life is a journey and Jesus knows that we will encounter challenges and difficulties, hence he gave us peace ahead of time. That is why he said in John 14:27 '…Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.' John 16:33 explains this a little further - 'These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world'. Amazing! The lord is saying I have told these things ahead of time that you may have peace. Wow Jesus is loving and loves his children.
Life is a journey and the Lord expects us to have His peace. The Lord expects us to command His peace as we journey through life. He wants us to live and have full enjoyment of His peace. In Mark 4:35-40, Jesus had said to his disciples 'Let us go to the other side'. This depicts life's journey which Jesus and His disciples undertook by boat on the sea. Everything was fine and okay at the beginning of the journey but notice what happened in Mark 4:37 'And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full'. The storm was very bad that the boat was about to capsize for the scripture says that the boat was full. The disciples were so afraid! Someone might justify the disciples for being afraid as the situation was dire indeed. The storm was GREAT! The wind was GREAT and devastating. Someone in a similar life situation may excuse themselves for being afraid, anxious, depressed and about to throw in the towel. But notice what Jesus did in Mark 4:39 when we woke from sleep - 'And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Wow! Peace be still! Also notice that Jesus was asleep in the midst of the storm. This is indeed the epitome of peace.... to be asleep in the midst of the storm. Jesus wanted the disciples to be in His peace, that is the reason for the stern rebuke in Mark 4:40 'And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?' Jesus was saying I expect you to take a stand in peace.
Jesus is still saying Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Are you going through turbulent times? Are you in the 'troubled waters' at the moment? Does your winter season appear protracted? Jesus is saying Peace be still! Experience my peace! You have my peace. Trust God and trust His word. In Him, you will have peace.
Do have a wonderful and peaceful week. God bless you!
