By Keiko Shinn | Rediscovering Prayer
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Jn. 14:27
I believe it’s safe to say we have all been there… Moments of complete loneliness, the rough reality of where confusion, sickness, and anxieties overwhelmed our hearts. And to deal with them, we try to run from the stressors with the entertainment of momentary pleasures, we may also mask the troubles by distancing our true emotions from them, or we may end up dwelling in the pain without a semblance of hope. But the truth is we can’t afford to ignore the battle between two realities: the fight between light and darkness waging in our world and in our own minds. The evil one seeks to rob, kill, and destroy. His enjoyment is to see us suffer in doubt and without the assurance of God’s love and presence to overcome in our trials.
The complete truth is that there is no other who can understand better the weight of our internal battle but Jesus Christ himself who took on human form and concealed His divinity for our sake, that He may reveal the extent of His love for mankind by sharing in the suffering of humanity and empathizing with our needs. Humility and compassion is what motivated His actions toward healing and restoration. The love of God, His love for us is what crushes death under His feet and everything related to its chains.
The fight is real and in order to overcome, we have to keep our hearts set on the cross where sin, strife, and death was defeated once and for all. Jesus takes us back to the day when He said, “It is finished”. On that cross, He took our past, present, and future, placed it on His broad shoulders, and by His resurrection power He redefined it and He sealed it for a holy purpose. This is eternal peace at work in our lives, that God knows all the good, the bad, and the ugly of His children and yet loves us just the same.
The healing salve our hearts need is found in the peace only Jesus provides. His peace is our antidote against the various facets of unrest. The warring begins in your identity as the grip of fear and the voice of doubt restricts you from believing you are able, that you are enough just as you are, and that you can reach the heights of all your dreams because it’s the love of Christ that carries you there. The peace of God transcends our understanding because He lives in our past, present, and our future to bring about the best outcome in our today. His peace speaks of a relationship, an alliance with God founded by His faithfulness, protection, provision, forgiveness, and a love that makes you more brave with the passing of each day.
He wants you to take joy in your weaknesses because through them, He is able to comfort you with the reality of His peace and motivate your faith to rest in His strength rather than your own. His peace is our daily reminder of the nearness of His presence in our lives. When we hunger for God and come to Him with honesty; desiring for greater freedom to worship Him as He deserves, He is faithful to deliver His ultimate gift of authentic rest. When His peace comes, the fight becomes His as the rage and the internal frustrations are quieted by His Spirit living inside you and together, in one voice you speak peace over the storm. Abide in Jesus, stay close to Him to experience the supernatural power and purpose of His peace.
For His Word assures us: Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1
Prayer: Lord, I want to know and experience your rest. There are so many distractions and many diversions that take the form of rest but are mere counterfeits to what truly satisfies my soul. May you be my peace, my ultimate tranquility that leads me to be light in a chaotic and ever changing world. Your love for me stays forever unchanged, your peace is my steady course that nourishes my identity as a child of God. May your peace manifest healing wherever I go, for I abide in you. Amen.
Additional verses: Jn. 10:10; Phil. 2:7; Heb. 4:15; 1 Cor. 15:55-57; Jn. 19:30; Phil. 4:7; Rev. 3:18; 2 Cor. 12:9