Scripture: John 14:23-29

Jesus answered, “Whoever loves me will keep my word. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words. The word that you hear isn’t mine. It is the word of the Father who sent me.

“I have spoken these things to you while I am with you. The Companion, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I told you.

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid. You have heard me tell you, ‘I’m going away and returning to you.’ If you loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than me. I have told you before it happens so that when it happens you will believe.

Consider:

I’m in the season of parenting where a little peace and quiet sounds like an amazing gift. I don’t want to say my kids are loud, but… my kids are loud. They’ve inherited their parents ability to project voices at will without the mediating influence of years of being told to be quiet. Our house is a very noisy place.

At this point in Jesus’ story, the world had gotten pretty noisy. There had been attempts to stone (primarily) Jesus and his disciples (by-proxy) because of their insistence that the God of Israel was in charge of the world and not the Caesar who was god in Rome. Their words directly challenged the empire in which they lived and threatened the security of their roman colony. Both sets of leaders were interested in keeping his voice down.

So, everyone in this story is tired, hungry, in hiding, and stressed about their future. What had seemed like a fun lark with friends during the wedding at Cana had become a life-threatening situation.

Jesus’ promise of peace probably sounded both amazing and ridiculous. Peace? What Peace? the disciples might have thought. There is no peace here. There are literally men with stones waiting across the river. What do you mean peace?

God’s spirit of comfort and peace doesn’t promise to take away the stress and hard circumstances of life. It doesn’t all of the sudden make everything ok. Your pipes will still break from years of use. You’ll get a flat tire on the way to the doctor’s appointment. You’ll find yourself at the recieving end of scary medical situations. Peace doesn’t mean the hard stuff goes away.

Instead God’s peace is the ability to face those circumstances with bravery, courage, and the reminder you are not walking through these situations alone. Peace comes from your community, the ones hearing God’s voice along side of you. God’s peace means accepting circumstances beyond your control with grace and not despair. God’s peace isn’t the absence of noise, but the ability to see beyond it to a time of calm, and, hopefully, a quieter house.

Respond:

What is a circumstance in your life where you could a dose of God’s courageous peace? Think about the places in your day where there seems to be a lot of static, voices, and competing items asking for your attention?

Then, identify the one in which bravery, courage, and grace are most needed - the one where God’s peace will help you face those circumstances. How might you find peace in the midst of that storm?

Pray:

Lord, in midst of the static in my overwhelming schedule and the competing voices of expectation, I need Your courageous peace. When anxiety blurs my vision, steady my heart. Grant me the bravery to choose stillness and the grace to act with clarity. In the storm, be my anchor and my strength. Amen.

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