Peace of God

John 14 : 27 - 31

A new kind of peace is the gift that Jesus leaves behind. It is certainly something unexpected, because it involves a loss, in fact a terrible loss from the human viewpoint of the disciples.....and yet a gain because as Jesus says, "the Father is greater than I". There is more than meets the eye here. It is not just that we have to be 'brainwashed' by the words "Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid". These are wonderful affirmations of faith but they are 'hard won' truths and not just glib answers in the face of sadness and losses. I don't think Jesus meant these words to be used in the former manner. I guess that is why when people comfort us in our troubles, we can sense the difference between those who just mouth platitudes and those who have discovered the words as hard won truths in their own lives. They have grappled with it all in their own times of trouble, they have felt their own feelings deeply first of all, and have been to God, empty and needy. Then and only then do these were these words internalised in their lives. These words are lived truths, not superficial 'memory verses' that they are repeating. The peace of God is not just a good feeling - it is a deep down sense, even amidst the troubles that can take place at more superficial levels of our experience.

In the end, listening to the Word is a personal matter and part of the intimate relationship we seek with God. Listen to the Word.....but also respond to it out of your own feelings whether positive or even if there is some resistance. And express all this to the Lord. The resistance does not make the Lord's words any less true but our expression of it to Him makes the relationship much more 'real' and 'alive'. As I think about it, this is the way all relationships grow - by honest and loving self-disclosure. We are often quite frank with family members but with friends there may be a certain caution to being 'real' - and that's when the friendship does not deepen. With the Lord, similar dynamics can be applied: listening to the Word involves listening to one's life and responding honestly from there, and then listening again to the Word.

Peace of God.......is a grace we desire at all times....it is listed as a fruit of the Spirit......it is a 'promise' that is more than comforting words. I just had news that my friend's young niece who has serious cancer is not doing too well - with prolonged respiratory infections. Many are praying for the family and I trust that somehow, amidst their struggles, physical and emotional, the Lord will break through granting a peace "not as the world gives".