The Peace that Jesus Left
“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.” ~John 14:27
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“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1) I don’t know about you all but whenever I read this verse I feel a great sense of peace. Even before I was wholeheartedly abiding (resting) in the presence of God I knew the importance of this verse. The shadow of the Lord is His very own guiding presence. I understood that as long as I remained in His presence that rest was promised. I understood that it was only God and His presence that could provide me with peace. I understood from Psalm 91 that even if the world was falling apart He will rescue me, He will protect me, He will hear my cry, He will be with me in trouble. I knew His presence guaranteed peace, His presence guaranteed rest. Although I knew all of these things, I did not choose peace.
In Exodus 3, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses out of a burning bush. The burning bush was with fire but it was not consumed, that intrigued Moses and drew him closer. So he said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” (v.1) It was then and only then that God called his name “Moses, Moses!” (v.2). Needless to say, God is always there but what makes the difference is our decision to face Him. Yes I knew the whole of Psalm 91 but it didn’t do anything for my anxiety because I did not abide in Him. When you know Him and you abide in Him as He abides in you, peace is your portion. The peace of the Lord is promised to those who abide in Him.
The Peace of the World vs. The Peace of God
There are two types of peace, the peace the world offers and the peace that God offers. In John 14:27 Jesus says, “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.” The peace of the world is one that is attached to circumstances; social, physical, emotional, financial, relational circumstances. The carnally minded man cannot have everlasting peace because his/her peace is determined by their environmental factors. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) God promises us that this world is full of trials and tribulations, however He tells us not to worry, to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. But how can you not worry, how can you be of good cheer if you do not know the Lord? How can you not worry and how can you be of good cheer if you don’t know the Word of God?
Then there is the peace of God, which is defined as a state of rest that comes based on the revelation of who God is and the integrity of His person. To have revelation of who God is to have a clear understanding of Him. We begin to see Him as the God of Abraham (covenant keeping God), the God of David (God of mercy), the God of Moses (the God that leads), the God of Paul and Silas (the God that delivers). You now know His plans for you (For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11), you know that He cares about you (casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7). You know that even in the midst of the fire He is the fourth man in the fire! (Daniel 3:24-26) You know that all things have to work together for your good! (Romans 8:28) When your peace is from God, it is not based on your external environment but it is based on who God is. Knowing that God is the same yesterday, today and forevermore (Hebrews 13:8). Knowing that although heaven and earth will pass, His words will by no means pass away (Mark 13:31).
The Peace that Surpasses Understanding
The peace of God is one that surpasses all understanding. In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” When I think about the peace that surpasses all understanding, John 14:17 comes to mind it says, “the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” Not everyone receives the Spirit of God, therefore not everyone receives the peace of God. The Holy Spirit was put on earth for us as our guide, our helper and our comforter. Even in the midst of the storm we are at peace knowing that the Holy Spirit is with and within us.
In 2 Samuel 12, David was praying and fasting crying out to God to stop Him from killing the child that Uriah’s wife had bore to him, however God did not change His mind and spare the life of the child. (Prayer and fasting should never be used as a means to twist the arm of the Lord!) However when David’s servants told him that the child had died, David simply arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, changed his clothes and went to the house of the Lord to worship Him (v.20). All his servants were confused as to how he could go from pleading and crying to being so calm about the situation, seeing that his child had just died. David replied saying, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” (v.22-23). As I read that I knew that was indeed the peace that surpasses all understanding. Yes his child had just died and things didn’t work out in his favor, but he was at peace. As he was praying and fasting, God had the chance to provide David with peace over the situation. David was a man that had peace, his hope and confidence was wholeheartedly in the Lord. Even when thousands were chasing him, many were persecuting him, some were trying to take over the kingdom God had given to him, He always gave everything to God in prayer. By doing that, he gave God the chance to take control and give him peace in the process.
In this life we will face tribulations, it is inevitable. But in the midst of all that, our hope is in God and His presence knowing that He is peace. His peace surpasses all earthly understanding.
Are You in the Kingdom?
With the kingdom of God comes peace. In Romans 14:17 Paul tells us, “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” So I am here to ask you all, are you truly in the kingdom of God? Are you at peace? Do you have peace that is above all circumstances? If you answered no to these questions you have probably not received the kingdom of God in all capacity. If you are truly in Christ, one thing that is promised to you is peace. Peace is one of the cardinal representations of the kingdom, so you know you have received the kingdom of God if you are at peace.
If you are currently not at peace it is probably because there are one or two areas in your life that you are still holding on to. One thing I always say is that if you are still worried about a situation you have not given it to God yet. You know you have given it to God when you can say you are at peace no matter what happens next.
Believe it or not but peace is a choice! The same way we choose to dwell on situations for hours on end is the same way we can choose to pray and to simply give it to God. We have been given the choice to give it all to God, He has literally told us to cast our cares on Him because He cares!! (1 Peter 5:7) C’mon now! I wish I knew all of this when I was sitting comfortably in my years of anxiety and unrest. God gives us rest, He gives us comfort and He gives us peace. I don’t know about you all, but I choose God! I choose peace! Nothing on this earth should ever take away my peace. As soon as you are in a state of worry and unrest, it shows Jesus that there is something higher than Him in your life. And that my friends, is a slap to the face to our Lord and Savior that has done it at all on the cross. I am here to advise you, to give it all to God! There is nothing He cannot do!
Secret to Gaining Peace
The secret to attaining peace is literally given to us in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” That is it! All we can do is give everything to God in prayer and supplication. God wants us to cast all our cares on Him, He wants all our worries to be made known to Him. He wants to give us His yoke because it is easy and His burden is light. (Matthew 11:29-39) When you seek God first, you are literally giving Him permission to go ahead and take control of the situation, and He will give you peace in the process. Anxiety and worrying only lead to stress and depression.
Some other things I have done and keep doing along with prayer and being in the Word that help me choose peace over anxiety daily are:
Journaling to God (literally write my feelings, how my day is going, basically any and everything).
Listening to podcasts about Faith and Jesus (check music page of website).
Playing gospel music while taking nature walks (playlist on music page of website).
Going on prayer walks (Walking with no particular destination and praying over the earth, people, businesses, etc. as the Spirit lead).
Engaging in conversations about God with my sisters in Christ (be cautious about the conversations you have).
Minimize watching news, going on social media, worldly shows and other types of media and technology that work against my growth in Christ.
Going to the Word to affirm me over any situation (example: What does the Bible say about ___?)
Declaration
I declare and decree that God is my peace. I will and have received the peace that surpasses all understanding. Even in the midst of the storm I will trust in the Lord. When problems in life get too much for me to handle, I will cast my cares on the Lord and go to Him for rest. I will not be worried or anxious about tomorrow because I serve a God that has the times and seasons in His hands. My peace will not be dependent on circumstances but it will be dependent on You and You alone. You are Jehovah-shalom, You are the Prince of peace and You have given Your peace to me freely. Thank You God, I love you Lord and I accept Your peace.
