A PEACE OF HIM

“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.” So said Jesus in John 14:27.

What is peace? It can be simply a reprieve from outright war or actual harmony among individuals. However, probably the best definition of the word that is translated “peace” in John 14:27 is “the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ.” This is the peace – this tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation – that we are assured, I believe, in the promise Jesus gave His disciples. 

In fact, Jesus said that we would not have peace when it came to the world around us. John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” [Emphasis mine] So, we can hope for, pray for and work for peace in the world, and possibly have it for a time, but it isn’t promised to us. We are promised, instead, that we will have peace in spite of the tribulation. 

God’s peace, this tranquil state, is available to those who love His law according to Psalm 119:165: “Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” And it seems to me that this peace is connected to letting nothing cause us to stumble in our walk of faith. Makes sense, since it is very much easier to deal with trials and troubles in this world when (1) we know that our Savior has already overcome the world and (2) we love and obey that perfect law of love that He has outlined for us. 

When we weather trials and troubles, the peace of God and Christ keeps us from losing our way or, I would venture, from wanting to quit the path of obedience.

We are offered a peace that really doesn’t make any sense, to the natural, human mind. Philippians 4:7 [NIV] “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” After all, does it make any sense to be at peace when being buffeted by trial? Yet, that is what we are promised.

In the Old Testament, we find that God both offered a covenant of peace [See Number 25:12] and also removed His peace at times [See Jeremiah 16:5] according to Israel’s actions. 

Jesus also offers peace, which we will have as long as we walk in the way and which, according to Psalm 119:165 will also help us to stay in the way. 

The difference between believers today and the Israelite nation is that we also have the advantage of a piece of Him in us – that piece being the Holy Spirit. And we know that the fruit of the Holy Spirit includes peace [Galatians 5:22]. By in large, the nation of Israel did not have that in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. This reminds me of Philippians 2:13 [NIV] “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

That doesn’t mean that we cannot walk away from peace – or at least loose site of it. We can forget that Jesus is for us, that innumerable angels are also available to help us, that God is in control, or that He loves us and hears our cries. We can lie awake at night, worrying about things that we cannot change, or fearing things that might happen, or fretting over the hurtful words or actions of another. This is ignoring His peace or stifling it. I have certainly been guilty of this many times. 

The peace He gives us assures us that, unlike unbelievers, we have within us the capacity to have great peace, no matter what is going on around us, because we have within us a piece of Him by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 

Nevertheless, for Christians who both believe in and obey the one, true God (James 2:18-21), and have a piece of Him within us and therefore peace within us, shouldn’t there also be at least a lack of war if not outright peace in our congregations and between our fellowship groups? Yes, there should. However, we can ignore or stifle the way to peace among us – just like can ignore or stifle the peace within us. If there is not peace among God’s people, and at times we have all experienced a lack of peace among brethren, I would venture to suggest that the first step to rectifying that would be to reconnect to the piece of Him that gives us inner peace. From peace within us, surely peace among us is easier to renew. The promise of His peace, however, is that even in situations where among brothers there is a lack of peace, we can still have inner peace - His peace within us.  

Sisters, we only have peace that cannot be taken away because we have a piece of Him in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirt. Peace out!

I welcome your thoughts, comments and questions. You can write me at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org.