John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Maria Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela. Is this the peace Jesus was talking about?
The dictionary says peace is the absence of strife, a state of rest and calm. We all know that the lack of peace can make us go down a spiralling path of hopelessness and depression. However, the biblical definition has a much deeper meaning. It is to have a joyful disposition even during conflicts and storms. This peace is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
Is it practically possible to sleep amid a stormy sea? Jesus did, and He has left that peace with us. If we have Christ as Lord over our lives, we already possess it. The truth that His promises are unfailing must soak into our hearts. His peace is like a soldier actively guarding our hearts and minds from fear and despair (Philippians 4:7).
We may not be in the middle of a literal raging sea, but we all have our own life storms. Because of God’s unchanging goodness, we can find calm within, even when things are not going the way we would like them to. Peace to walk on water, peace to stand before our giants, peace to face death. Hence, Paul calls it “the peace that surpasses all understanding”.
When raging billows of waves crash and surge all around you, speak to your disturbed soul – Jesus, my Prince of Peace, is in my boat! When anxiety knocks on your heart, allow His peace to open the door and extinguish it.
Then you can experientially sing with the songwriter: What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms!
