YOU CAN HAVE PEACE AMIDST SUFFERING
True peace is not found in a trouble-free place, but in a Person. This peace is not about the absence of trouble, but the abiding presence of Jesus Christ. For trials and sorrows are inevitable in this world, but Christ has overcome them all. So, true peace is found only in Christ Jesus.
The word, “shalom,” is the Hebrew word for “peace.” This is important because it has a greater depth of meaning than our word “peace.” Shalom is more than a cessation of hostilities, or an absence of trouble. Shalom speaks to an inward sense of fullness and wholeness. It describes an inner tranquility and sense of well-being that cannot be disturbed by external storms.
Speaking of storms, can you picture Jesus asleep in a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee as a terrible storm threatens to swamp and sink it? Can you see the disciples trembling in fear and calling out to Jesus? Do you hear the quiet and commanding voice of Jesus speak to the storm, saying, “Peace, be still.”? This is the same Jesus that offers to live in us.
The question is not whether storms will come. They certainly will. The question is, “Do you have Jesus in your boat?” Do you have Jesus in your life? For only those who abide in Christ know this shalom, this “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7).
PRAYER: Dear Father, give us this peace of Christ today. For we face many troubles in this world. Give us this peace that sorrow cannot disturb and trouble cannot break. As we give our sufferings and sorrows to You, give us more of the peace of Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.