Peace That Remains

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Meditate

Jesus begins John 14 by speaking directly to troubled hearts. He tells His disciples, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me." And now, at the end of the chapter, Jesus returns to that same troubled heart because He knows what is coming.

Judas is coming. The soldiers are coming. The cross is coming. Soon Jesus will no longer be physically present with His disciples. So Jesus tells them how His peace can remain with them when everything around them is about to change.

M.I.P.
Jesus gives us His own peace-a peace that remains when everything around us changes.

The Holy Spirit keeps the words and truth of Jesus alive in His people. Jesus was going away physically, but His words were not going away. His truth was not going away. His promises were not going away. His presence was not going away.

For the apostles, the Holy Spirit was actively involved in bringing the teaching of Jesus to remembrance and guiding the writing of Scripture. That is the work of revelation. For believers today, the Holy Spirit does not give new Scripture. Instead, He illuminates the Scripture already given. He helps us understand, remember, and apply God's truth when we need it.

That ministry of the Holy Spirit is critically necessary for the peace Jesus gives us. The Lord's peace does not come from pretending everything is fine. It comes when the Holy Spirit brings the truths and promises of Jesus to bear on what we are facing.

When fear says, "God has forgotten me," the Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus said, "I will not abandon you as orphans-I will come to you." When grief says, "This is the end," the Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus said, "Because I live, you also will live." When confusion says, "I don't know what to believe," the Holy Spirit leads us back to the clear words of Jesus: "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

This is one of the primary ways the peace of Jesus remains with us. Our emotions may be loud, and our circumstances may be frightening, but the Holy Spirit steadies our hearts by bringing us back to the truth and promises of Jesus.

Apply

Jesus does not merely wish us peace. He gives us His peace. This is not just a calm feeling or a temporary break from pressure and anxiety. Jesus gives us His own settled peace-the peace of knowing the Father is still in control, the Father's purpose is still moving forward, and nothing can defeat what God has determined to do.

1. Receive the peace Jesus gives, not the peace the world offers.
   The world's peace usually depends on control. If we know what will happen, have enough money, receive a good diagnosis, see the conflict resolved, and watch our plans work, then we say, "Now I can have peace." But that kind of peace is fragile. One phone call, one diagnosis, one unexpected bill, one broken relationship, or one change in the future can take it away.
2. Let the Holy Spirit anchor your heart in the words of Jesus.
   The Holy Spirit does not give us peace by explaining every detail of our circumstances. He gives us peace by reminding us of what is eternally true: God has not abandoned us, Jesus is still alive, His promises are still true, His Word has not changed, and His presence is still with us.
3. Interpret your circumstances through the goodness of God.
   Sometimes our anxiety comes from interpreting what God is doing before we can see where He is going. We look at what is happening right now and how it affects us right now, then we form a conclusion about what God is doing. But our current circumstances are not the whole story. They are nowhere close to the whole story.
4. Walk forward in obedience with Jesus.
   Jesus said, "Come, let's be going," knowing Judas was coming, the soldiers were coming, and the cross was coming. The peace of Jesus does not hide from life or refuse to face what is ahead. The peace of Jesus gets up and walks forward in obedience.

The peace Jesus gives does not always remove the difficult road in front of us. Instead, it gives us the strength to get up and walk that road with Jesus.

Maybe today you are facing a road you would never have chosen. Maybe your circumstances have changed, and the future does not look the way you expected. Jesus is not offering you control over every circumstance. He is offering you His peace in every circumstance.

Respond

The final question is simple: how do we begin to experience the peace that remains? The answer is relationship. A real daily relationship with Jesus.

As we live daily with Jesus, and as Jesus lives daily in us, His life, truth, and promises begin to become our life, truth, and promises. As His life comes alive in us, He begins to transform us. Through the Holy Spirit, the life of Jesus is living in us, but that life must be nurtured. It needs to grow. It needs to be developed.

• Bring your fear honestly to Jesus.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of the promises of Jesus.
• Stop waiting for every circumstance to cooperate before receiving His peace.
• Trust the Father's greater purpose when you cannot yet see the whole plan.
• Take the next step with Jesus, even before every question is answered.