As I mentioned in the last blog in this series, Jesus emphasized to His disciples that He wanted them to be filled with joy and peace on the very night he was betrayed and arrested. No matter how many times I refer to this it always surprises me. He truly gives us peace in the midst of the storm. 

Consider His words here:

John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 16:33 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 14:27 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.

It strikes me that Jesus said, “let not your heart be troubled” and that He actually said it twice! We would say, “Don’t allow your heart to be troubled.” In other words, there is a part that we play in refusing a troubled heart and allowing peace to fill us so that we can come out of heart trouble. 

Jesus was not saying that we aren’t allowed to feel anxiety or heart trouble. Instead, He was saying that when our hearts are troubled we should not allow the trouble to stay there and rule us. He was giving us a path out of anxiety by applying the truths He shares in John 14. 

He shares three key truths to call us out of anxiety and into peace:

1.  There is a resurrection that is sure and appointed for the redeemed

2.  There is an eternal home that we have to look forward to that He is preparing for us.

3.  He has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and comfort us no matter the turmoil and anxiety we experience. 

When we feel anxiety and heart trouble we must allow our hearts to consider the bigger picture. What is this moment in light of eternity? How does this moment look when considered through the lens of the resurrection and the age to come? What is the Holy Spirit saying to us about this moment of trial and what answers is He offering us to calm our soul? When we give ourselves the margin to slow down and consider these truths our hearts will also slow down and find that there is a peace greater than our circumstances.

My Key Takeaways from Sabbatical Regarding Peace were:

1.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He promises to give us peace in the midst of trials and difficulties.

2.  The peace He gives is a transcendent peace that is not like the false peace of the world. Ultimately when our peace is based on natural circumstances, we need to recognize that there is a peace available to us that isn’t based on those natural circumstances and we must learn how to access it.

3.  When my peace is disrupted,it’s a sign that I need to slow down, still myself, and lean into the peace that He has given and allow that to fill my soul, regardless of my circumstances. 

4.  His appeal to peace, as it is with joy, is anchored to faith in the resurrection and the age to come.