September 13, 2023
Peace At A Price
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” John 14:27 (NASB)
During the toughest time of my life, I remember experiencing days in and out of Mayo Clinic as our daughter slowly died. She would have turned 35 years old this year. She died from brain death, on January 15, 2018. She was a chronic asthmatic who had a deadly attack one morning. She experienced a lack of blood in her brain for 11 minutes. The result was watching her body (in a coma), slowly fade from life. I remember the prayers to Jesus. I was fearful. My heart hurt like someone had stuck a hot dagger in it. One thing I promised God though, was to trust Him. Sara was Christian; one of the strongest I have ever known. During the period hospital, this verse spoke to my heart. Jesus said it, and I trusted it (in all the faith I could muster) during and after, but it still hurt so badly. During prayer time, and journey, I am not sure how the Holy Spirit did it, but He gave me a deep abiding sense of peace. Peace during a life-changing event; peace that can’t be written with letters; peace that can’t be explained. I fear if I could, it probably wouldn’t be God. So, I matched God’s Word to verify it was Him. It was. This is the peace Jesus gives. It comes through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. He is our Comforter if we let Him.
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” The disciples were preparing for a day when Jesus would leave. They would need all the comfort they could get in the coming days. The world was about to turn its vengeance on Jesus, and they would be labeled as “His followers.” All relative peace would be gone, but Jesus had something bigger in mind. “The peace Jesus leaves He leaves and gives now. The disciples have already had it (objectively) and even enjoyed it (subjectively). They are to retain it even though Jesus now departed. The security and the well-being intended by this peace relate to far more than protection in the hour of danger; they refer to the relation of the disciples to God. ‘Peace’ is a central concept and should not be reduced by being in some way turned into mere feeling.”[1] Foster says, “… though we may be engulfed in physical or mental strife, there can be peace of soul that rises above all the din and conflict of the world. Despite everything, a Christian can know peace. This, however, is not peace with Satan. It is not the peace at any price that the world demands. It is peace on God’s terms.”[2]
As I went through the phases of grief as Sara slowly passed I was devastated, but not defeated. I grieved but was not consumed. Don’t get me wrong, I miss my little girl every single day. I think about things she has missed in our lives, but now she sees something better. I am changed as a parent, but not defeated. Why? The abiding peace of the Holy Spirit. When I visit memories and begin to cry, I hear a whisper that says, “She knows true peace.” I realize my feelings are taking control (as Foster said). When feelings take over, my peace is interrupted. It takes me away from God and His Spirit who provides me with a peace that supersedes my feelings. It allows a supernatural intervention of God’s comfort. So today, “… Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” Jesus sent us His comforter, just like the disciples, who will guide us through this life. He is the voice of peace. Peace is a Person. His name is God.
[1] Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The interpretation of St. John’s gospel (p. 1017). Augsburg Publishing House.
[2] Foster, L. (1987). John: Unlocking the Scriptures for You (p. 156). Standard.