“I leave the gift of peace with you-my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts-instead, be courageous! Remember what I’ve told you, that I must go away, but I promise to come back to you. So if you truly love me, you will be glad for me, since I’m returning to my Father, who is greater than I. So when all of these things happen, you will still trust and cling to me. I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let my love nourish your hearts. My purpose for telling you these things is so that the joy that I experience will fill your hearts with overflowing gladness!” John 14:27-29, 15:9,11 TPT
What has happened to our peace? We tend to lose it among the trials that life seems to throw our way, simply because, in the midst of things, it is so easy to let our guard down, which could easily leave a foot-hold for Satan to attempt to crawl in. These are the times when we should just be still and know that we have a loving Father filled with an abundance of peace.
In this passage, Jesus is describing his perfect peace. The peace that takes away fear, uncertainty, doubt, and conflict of any sort and fills us with the confident assurance that no matter the circumstance, we can trust and cling to him. Life can sometimes feel like a roll-a-coaster, when all is well, there is abounding joy, but when hardships creep in, we can begin to sink into sorrow. Jesus left us with such a precious gift, the gift of perfect peace through the acceptance of the Holy Spirit to continuously nourish our hearts, and it can be ours, simply for the asking.
Heavenly Father, help us to remember, that in your love for us, through your Son, you made available, perfect peace, and be ever so thankful.
In Christ Love
Margaret