Father, when the storms of life come flooding in;
May Your peace be our safety net!
Topic of the month: Peace
Opening my eyes to gaze upon this new day I realize that the once familiar schedule of events will never be the same. Something uncomfortable and unknown is now before me. Something I am not sure of, and nothing I had planned. Yet, here I am. Feelings of uncertainty, of impending failure, all my inadequacies spring up and flood my soul. My heart races, my mind cannot focus…this new direction is unclear…and so I sit frozen in time. How did I get here? Why do I feel so alone? What if, what if, what if…
I imagine this might be, although slight, how the disciples felt when Jesus’ imminent death was in front of them. These men had spent the past few years listening, learning and walking alongside this man called Jesus. He healed the sick, he prayed to the Father, he called out to those in need, he moved forward. Jesus knew what was ahead of him and he kept moving in spite of the challenge that was coming. He knew something greater lie ahead: His place beside the Father.
But the disciples, they did not understand. They did not like the new message Jesus was giving them. They were comfortable in the life they were living. Even though Jesus had prepared them, they still questioned their abilities. They were nothing special in their own minds. They didn’t have what Jesus had, so how could they do what Jesus could do?
Jesus says,
“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”(John 14:25-30)
Are we similar to the disciples? In spite of the time we spend studying the Word of God…we are surprised when circumstances change around us. We are rocked when hard times are thrust in our path. We let our minds race, our thoughts wonder, our bodies deplete. We worry. We weep. We pray. God has prepared us. He gives us Hope. He came to this world that we may live life to the fullest. The trials and sorrows that come in this life are not a hidden agenda. But, even knowing that these times are coming, we cannot help but grieve. Jesus lived among us, he suffered on our behalf, he made a way to God the Father for us. He has indeed overcome the world…and that offers our hearts and minds a peace that rules.
Holding Fast to Hope,
Jen
Scripture References: John 16:33, Philippians 4:6-7, John 14: 25-30, John 10:10
