The Weekly Word - A Devotion for the Week of August 26
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you what the world gives.”
-- John 14:27
We tend to search for peace in all the wrong places. If only I could get away from it all, we think – work stress, family conflicts, worries and anxieties – then I would finally find peace. We strive to change our external circumstances, convincing ourselves that we will find peace in our next vacation, in a new job, in a new relationship.
But Jesus tells us something different. True peace, he reminds us, isn’t dependent on our circumstances; it isn’t found outside ourselves. Rather, true peace comes from Jesus Himself. True peace is God’s ever-present gift to us.
The world will give us trouble, to be sure. But even in the midst of hardship, grief, sickness and stress, the peace we receive from Jesus persists because it grows out of our relationship with Him. My peace I give you, Jesus says. Not the world’s definition of peace, which is dependent on external circumstances, but the peace of Jesus, which is dependent only on our relationship with and trust in Him.
Gracious God, thank You for reminding me that true peace is not found in what the world offers me, but in You – in my relationship with and connection to You. Help me keep my heart and mind focused on You, Lord, so that I may live secure and content in Your peace. Amen.