Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27Fellow Believers,On the eve of His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus took time out to comfort His disciples. He made it a point to give themand by extension, to all of us believersHis personal peace and His personal joy.
Why is it then that so many Christians, instead of having the peace and the joy of the Lord, are finding life so difficult? So widespread is this problem that many churches are now offering special programs and "support groups" to help members cope with the stress in their lives.
It's not easy to have peace and joy in today's world, some people say, because things have gotten so complicated. The truth, nevertheless, is that life was never easy. God declares in Job 5:7, "Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward." For Christians in particular, Jesus forewarns, "In the world ye shall have tribulation." It was precisely to keep our hearts from being troubled and afraid in this cursed world that He so graciously gave us His peace.
It surely was not easy for our Lord to have peace on the night He was betrayed. He knew He was going to be mistreated and killed by His enemies; and He knew that even His disciples would abandon Him. But notice what He said in John 16:32, "Ye shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me." Therein lies the secret of His peace: He trusts in the faithfulness of His Father.
For the Lord to talk about joy that solemn night must have been even harder. Yet, after having commanded the disciples to obey His commands, He said, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11).
What kind of joy did the Lord have that might be in us and make our joy full? It was a joy, Hebrews 12:2 explains, that enabled Christ to endure the cross and scorn its shame. That joy came from doing the will of God and seeing the glory that follows.
So, however difficult our immediate circumstances may be, we can indeed experience the peace of our Lord if we, like Him, know deep in our heart that God will never leave us nor forsake us and that He is working all things, including the situation we find ourselves in, for our good. And we can also have the joy of our Lord by living an obedient life and by looking at the glory that lies beyond the valley.
In short, the only support group we need is God and His word. If we sincerely trust and obey, our peace and joy will both be full.
First Quarter, 1997