Good Thursday morning! Praise the Lord for the new day! The harsh lines of the world we see become muted as a soft blanket of peace flows over the hearts of those who will believe in Christ Jesus. This is no idle wondering, it is fact. In John 14:27 we read: "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." We are troubled, "What if everything I believe is wrong?", and then we are afraid, "Then there is nothing in this life for me but suffering and despair!" For this reason, Jesus gave us peace in a way the world cannot give, and then He gave us two commands: let not your heart be troubled, and neither let it be afraid. There are times when a spirit of doubt overtakes our minds. We look at the world and see the storm in much the same way as the disciples stared hard at the big waves on the Sea of Galilee one stormy night. We take the peace Jesus gave to us and throw it to the dogs of the world.
We are given not just any peace, but the peace of Jesus. That peace is what He carried in His heart as He walked among the foes of the temple, or healed the disease and death of the world, or confronted demons who held captives. Any of those circumstances would shake any peace of mind we had gained from the world; all three would have overthrown us and sent any of us running out to the wilderness. At times Jesus became angry. It is interesting to note that He did not become angry at the demon possessed folks, or at the sick, but at those people who should have seen the light but embraced the darkness. Just after driving the moneychangers and other crooks out of the temple, Jesus spoke with peace and assurance. It was not that His peace returned to Him, but that the peace of our Lord had never left. The peace Jesus gives does not desert us in times of righteous anger.
As the disciples labored in vain to bring their boat to shore in a storm, Jesus walked toward them across the waves. As the disciples feared for their human lives in another storm, Jesus got up and calmed the storm with a command. Circumstances that produced fear and terror in the disciples did not shake the peace of Jesus. As the storm ceased and the raging sea became still, the disciples asked each other, "Dude, who is this guy?" (my translation) Jesus calms the storms of the world, changing the storm to peaceful circumstances.
In our history there have been times of spiritual renewal and revival. After the emotional excitement, the saints have sought peace in prayer and thanksgiving with God the Father. We need the peace of Jesus to calm the storm of emotions too. It isn't that emotion is bad and that we should go through life like some kind of Mr. Spock, but that too much emotion for too long can be a problem for us. Trust in God and live in the peace of Jesus. Seek more of that peace through prayer and meditation on the Word of God.
Bucky
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