John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.
This is a word about peace. We are living in prophetic times. There are wars and rumors of wars, multiple volcanoes erupting, erratic weather, fires, floods and political unrest and upheaval. Everywhere you look there are situations which threaten to raise your blood pressure and disturb your peace. Everyday there is more troubling news. It is not healthy to live under the amount of stress assailing everyone now. It’s not good for your body and it is certainly not good for your spirit.
In every situation, Jesus is good news. Bless the Lord for peace. This verse is Jesus’ own words. He knew this world would bring us tribulation so he gave us his words; he gave us the good news so that we could overcome stress and worry just as he did. He said he spoke so that we might have peace even in troubled times.
Jesus has in mind that we partake of his words; that we spend time with what he said. In modern parlance we would say read the Bible then meditate on what you’ve read. Meditation is simply thinking about his words. If we want to have and live in peace, then we need to become familiar with the words Jesus spoke. I like to say, “We hibernate there.” That suggests living in those words so that they become as familiar to us as our favorite, cuddly pajamas. We need the words of Jesus if we are going to live in peace.
Secondly, take what you read right back to Jesus in prayer. Ask him to illuminate what you’ve read. Ask him to give you deeper insights and to show you how what you’ve read is applicable to your life.
Lastly, since we know that Jesus and his words are what bring us peace, we may need to ask ourselves if we are getting enough of him. We are being inundated day and night with news; news that is not uplifting; news that weighs heavily on the human spirit. Are we spending enough time with him to lift our spirits and restore our souls to peace. Is there enough Jesus in our environment to buoy the lagging spirits of our friends?
In these highly stressful times, please take care of yourselves. You may need to give Jesus a larger slice of your time than normal. You may need more of the Word, more prayer, more praise music. Mind you take care to nurture your spirit as you would your body. In the process, maybe you can find someone else to lift up. Everyone you know is living with greater stress. Be the agent of good news. Be the bearer of peace. May our Lord fill you with his peace and may his peace follow you everywhere you go. Amen.