Peace

John 20:19-21 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

The disciples were locked up in fear.  Jesus came to them, and His first word to them was “peace.”

Peace, is the Greek word eirēnē according to a conception distinctly peculiar to Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is: Comprehensively, of every kind of peace (blessing), yet with a predominance apparently of the notion of peace with God.

When I am filled with anxiety, fear or worry, Jesus wants to come to me and speak “peace.”  How many times do I lock Him out of the situation, not allowing Him to speak peace into my circumstances.  I seek other’s opinions.  I rationalize in my own mind.  I seek out experts.

Yet Jesus just speaks “peace” when I quiet myself enough. He will meet me where I am.  He will show me what to do.  He may use someone, but it is rarely the voice I sought that will guide me where He wants me to go.  He may lead me to an expert, but it is rarely in my own searching.  When I see Him in my anxiousness, the answer always starts with peace.  It comes from a place of peace.

The second thing that John recorded that Jesus spoke after His resurrection to His disciples was again “peace.”  Even as He was sending them out into the world.  Peace is what He wanted them to have.  He knew in order for them to walk through their journey, and complete their God given mission, they would need to be at peace with God wherever they were in life.

So it is with me.  I become ineffective in my roles whenever I loose my peace with God.  I must stay connected to His peace if I want to be successful.  For a long time in my life, I didn’t have His peace.  There was such a deep anger inside of me, that I quickly lashed out at whoever was around.  I was not content with where I was.    It could be the littlest thing that would set me off.

It takes a lot more now for me to get to that place, but unfortunately, I know it is still there.  I was it on vacation with my family.  A trip we planned for months.  It erupted when the kids were fighting.  I saw it with my grandchildren when their behavior is wrong all weekend. I have seen it rear it’s ugly head with my husband. I have lost my peace, only to have to come back an apologize  later when I had the opportunity to regroup and reenter the situation with a repentant heart to ask for forgiveness.

I want to get to the point that I really am just peaceful all of the time.  Where I let God lead even when the storms are raging.  God showed me earlier this year that I have to let Him be the One stable thing for me when all else is uprooted or unstable.  He can be that peace, if I will not lock Him out but will go to Him, or better yet, just abide in Him.

Lord, thank you for Your peace, the fruit of the Spirit that you have grown in my life. Thank you for your faithfulness, even when I have not sought you. Thank you for your forgiveness when I have lost that battle lately.  I need your peace, the peace that surpasses all understand.  Continue to grow Your peace in me.  Thank you for speaking peace into my life.   Thank you for your gracious love. Let your peace go with me.  I want to be known as a woman of peace.