“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
John 14:27 NLT
Have you ever met someone who seemed “unshakeable”? In the sense that no matter what happened to or around the person, they always seemed to be calm as if nothing could shake them.
Paul was someone like that. In his letter to the Philippians church, he encourages them to rejoice in all things, be anxious for nothing, pray in all situations, and allow God’s peace to guide their hearts, as they had seen in him (Philippians 4:4-9). He had set a good example by exhibiting all of these characteristics while imprisoned at the time of writing that letter.
This same unshakeable character appeared to exist in the early church as well. They were imprisoned, beaten, and threatened for the sake of the gospel at various points in the book of Acts, but they seemed unshaken, always at peace. We see Peter and John being threatened but remaining at peace in Acts 4, Stephen in Acts 7, and so on. The disciples were not always courageous and unwavering. They were the same people who fled after Jesus was arrested (Matthew 26:56, Mark 14:50-52) and denied Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75), so what changed?
In our anchor scripture, Jesus was preparing the disciples for His death and departure from them, and He promised to give them peace of mind and heart, not peace born from the absence of trials, but peace that prevails despite adversity. This gift resulted from receiving the Holy Spirit after salvation. They were at peace at all times because they had the Holy Spirit with them at all times and the assurance of eternal life. This is what changed them from people who were afraid of the ruling power of their day to staunch defenders of the faith despite experiencing persecutions on every side.
The same is true for you, dear believer. You have peace because Jesus is with you. Many things may not go as planned this year, but you have the Master of peace on your side. Allow His peace to guard and keep you throughout the year.
CONFESSION:
I have the peace of God,
I am not shaken by the happenings in the world,
I am not afraid or anxious,
The peace of God guides and guards my heart and mind at all times.
Bible Reading Plan: Job 20-21