“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 (Read John 14:25-31)

Jesus offered and gave His disciples peace, not the kind the world gives but the peace that only He can give. What is that peace? It’s peace in times of trouble and turmoil, comfort and hope amid despair, and certainty when all seems uncertain.

Jesus’ disciples were about to see Jesus arrested and crucified and to fear for their own lives as followers of Jesus. They were about to see Jesus, their teacher and hope, taken from them and laid in a tomb. They were about to face uncertainty regarding their faith and their future because Jesus, whom they had followed for three years, was about to be taken from them and return to the Father in heaven. But, in all this, Jesus offered and gave to them peace.

As believers in this world, we face tribulations and persecution, uncertainties in life, and fears in death. As sinners, we feel the burden and weight of our sins and despair at the thought of standing before the righteous and holy God who created us to live for Him and do His will and who hates and punishes sin and disobedience. But amid all our fears, uncertainties, and despair, Jesus gives us peace.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” How true this is! God does not give us worldly peace or a life without fears or troubles; He gives us peace amid those fears and troubles.

Those who place their trust in Him and the salvation He provided for us in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, know they will face tribulation and troubles in this world, but they know that God is still in control and is working all things for their good (cf. John 16:33; Rom. 8:28, 1 Pet. 4:17-19). They know they are sinners and deserve only God’s wrath and punishment, but they take comfort in God’s promise of full pardon and forgiveness for the sake of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (cf. John 3:14-18; 5:24; Rom. 3:9-26; 4:23 — 5:2). They, like everyone else, face death, but they know that Jesus, their Savior, conquered death when He rose again on the third day and that He will keep His word and raise them up again on the last day to reign with Him forever in heaven (cf. John 11:25-26; John 14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 7:9-17).

So, when we face troubles in life, when we face sickness and death, when we despair over our sins and the judgment we deserve, Jesus offers and gives His peace to all who trust in Him — the peace of sins forgiven through faith in His shed blood, the peace that He will bring us safely through the troubles of this life and is working for our good, the peace that He is always with us and will raise us up on the last day and give us the eternal joys of heaven.

Give us Your peace, Lord, through faith in You and the salvation You won for us by Your innocent sufferings and death in our stead and Your glorious resurrection. Amen.

[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]