A while back a friend came to me at a group function and pulled me aside. She was going through a hard season and with discouragement written all over her face she whispered, “Where is that peace the Bible talks about, the kind that surpasses our understanding? I‘ve honestly never felt it.” With tears welling up in her eyes she continued, “As a Christian isn’t that supposed to be part of the package?”
I felt her pain. I did. I knew what she meant. But I also knew what it meant to have that incomprehensible peace. I’ve been in both places.
Jesus tells us in John 14:27, “Peace I leave you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”
The world promises us peace with money, possessions, health and safety. Jesus promises peace in spite of the lack of these.
I told my friend I’ve felt that peace she desired. It’s a soft pillow to lay your head upon when your pallet is a bed of nails. This kind of peace doesn’t take away the pain of a situation, however, it gives us the strength to endure the unendurable. It’s always there for us but it takes work to keep.
To find out what that means join me over on the She found Joy devotional page.
Betsy Cruz says
March 9, 2020 at 10:43 amLooking forward to reading the rest, Christy! This is so timely, I was just finishing up the rough draft of an ebook chapter on receiving God’s peace, even when the situation is still messy. That verse is one of my favorites.