"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. let not your hearts be
troubled, neither let them be afraid." - John 14:27
"I have said these things to you,
that in me you have peace. in this world you may have tribulation. but take
heart I have overcome the world." - John 16:33
This is probably the most personal to me. The
peace of God is another attribute that his hard to comprehend but is an
incredible assurance of His love for us. He give us peace in our darkest
moments in life, He gives us peace when we face hard decisions. You may have heard
or said yourself, "I don't feel the Lord's peace about this." But he
does give it in abundance when we ask for it. Like His love, it is peace that
is difficult to understand and comprehend it surpasses our human understanding. Philippians 4:6-7 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the
peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus."
March 23, 2010 is a day that I will never
forget. I was sitting on the couch in my living room working steadily on the
projects due for my next day of nursing clinical. It was my fourth and final
semester of nursing school, I was ready to be done, without any distractions.
As I worked on my projects my phone rang, it was my brothers number. But it was
not my brother on the other end of the line, it was my sister in law. She told
me Richard had collapsed and that the paramedics were there working on him and
wouldn't let her in the house. My heart sank in my chest, my family listened intently to what I was saying to her. I was trying to calm her down and say that it
would be okay. Even though my heart told me that it wouldn't. Several days
before my brother had complained of chest
pain but didn't want to do anything about it because he was 24 and didn't think
that anything heart related would happen at his age. My family hurried to the
car to go pick my sister in law and their kids up and meet the ambulance at the
hospital. My mom wanted me to tell her it was going to be okay, but I couldn't.
That evening my brother died of a massive heart attack. My world came crashing
down, and yet amidst the pain, confusion, and heartache was a peace that cannot
be explained unless you have experienced it. Throughout the next days and weeks
I could feel that peace, and not only that I could feel the body of Christ
lifting me and my family up in prayer.
It was peace, God's peace, given to me during
a time that the waves were crashing over me. I am reminded of the song "It
is Well with my Soul." "When
sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say, it
is well, it is well with my soul.." I often liken God's peace to a pond or
lake that is as still as glass with no disturbances, not even a gentle breeze
blowing. And even though it is classically peaceful, we can still have peace in
the storms. To me thunderstorms are no longer the fearful event that they were
when I was a child. They are comforting and reassuring that The Lord is
present, and he stands with us in the storm. Sure, he can easily lift up his
hand and say "Peace, be still" and take away the storm. But often he
is saying to us "Peace, be still my child. I am here, I am with you. Do
not be troubled, don't be afraid. I will uphold you with my right hand. I will
guide you, I will not leave you. I will be your peace!"
I am glad that I serve a God that give me
peace!
Heavenly
Father,
This is probably the most personal to me. The
peace of God is another attribute that his hard to comprehend but is an
incredible assurance of His love for us. He give us peace in our darkest
moments in life, He gives us peace when we face hard decisions. You may have heard
or said yourself, "I don't feel the Lord's peace about this." But he
does give it in abundance when we ask for it. Like His love, it is peace that
is difficult to understand and comprehend it surpasses our human understanding. Philippians 4:6-7 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the
peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus."
March 23, 2010 is a day that I will never
forget. I was sitting on the couch in my living room working steadily on the
projects due for my next day of nursing clinical. It was my fourth and final
semester of nursing school, I was ready to be done, without any distractions.
As I worked on my projects my phone rang, it was my brothers number. But it was
not my brother on the other end of the line, it was my sister in law. She told
me Richard had collapsed and that the paramedics were there working on him and
wouldn't let her in the house. My heart sank in my chest, my family listened intently to what I was saying to her. I was trying to calm her down and say that it
would be okay. Even though my heart told me that it wouldn't. Several days
before my brother had complained of chest
pain but didn't want to do anything about it because he was 24 and didn't think
that anything heart related would happen at his age. My family hurried to the
car to go pick my sister in law and their kids up and meet the ambulance at the
hospital. My mom wanted me to tell her it was going to be okay, but I couldn't.
That evening my brother died of a massive heart attack. My world came crashing
down, and yet amidst the pain, confusion, and heartache was a peace that cannot
be explained unless you have experienced it. Throughout the next days and weeks
I could feel that peace, and not only that I could feel the body of Christ
lifting me and my family up in prayer.
It was peace, God's peace, given to me during
a time that the waves were crashing over me. I am reminded of the song "It
is Well with my Soul." "When
sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say, it
is well, it is well with my soul.." I often liken God's peace to a pond or
lake that is as still as glass with no disturbances, not even a gentle breeze
blowing. And even though it is classically peaceful, we can still have peace in
the storms. To me thunderstorms are no longer the fearful event that they were
when I was a child. They are comforting and reassuring that The Lord is
present, and he stands with us in the storm. Sure, he can easily lift up his
hand and say "Peace, be still" and take away the storm. But often he
is saying to us "Peace, be still my child. I am here, I am with you. Do
not be troubled, don't be afraid. I will uphold you with my right hand. I will
guide you, I will not leave you. I will be your peace!"
I am glad that I serve a God that give me
peace!
Heavenly
Father,
Thank you for
supplying me peace in abundance. For giving me peace and comfort in the storms
of life and through my darkest days. It is a peace that I can't comprehend and
don't know how to explain but it is a peace that you give freely and I am
grateful for it. Amen!
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