“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”
John 16:33 CSB
Take a moment and think of a challenging situation or trial. Maybe it’s an issue at work, a conflict with a close friend, or an inner struggle you have never even named. Hold it in your mind. Feel the tension it causes in your body. Let the mental and emotional weight you carry transfer to your physical body. Now add Jesus to your picture. Right in the middle of that family crisis or worrisome visit to the doctor, imagine Jesus is sitting beside you. No matter what happens next, He’s not leaving.
Take a deep breath. Inhale the gift of His presence.
This is the peace of Jesus. Not that your circumstances will instantly change or that the road ahead will be free of painful potholes and disheartening detours, but that God the Son in the person of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit whom He sent go with you.
He has existed since before the foundation of the world, and He is the foundation of our present and our future. Paul explains it like this in Colossians 1:15–20:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things,
and by him all things hold together.
He is also the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have
first place in everything.
For God was pleased to have
all his fullness dwell in him,
and through him to reconcile
everything to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace
through his blood, shed on the cross.”
What does it mean that Jesus has overcome the world? It means death doesn’t have the final say. It means Jesus’s blood conquered the spiritual chaos caused by sin.
There is no peace without Jesus. Thank God we have Him.
By Becky Keife from Create in Me a Heart of Peace.
Dear Becky…………Your devotion today is very uplifting and the whole story with Peace from Jesus touched my heart. I have so many things that are making me sad and some mad. I will quickly tell you one that made me mad as I am getting ready to go to church. I had a best friend that I had grown up with and I have pictures of the two of us in a playpen. Our mothers were best friends and I am 2 months older than she is. Fast forward to years later when we are now both 77 years old. We lost contact with each other for quite a while as she divorced her first husband and remarried and move down South. One day I found an old letter she had sent me and there was a phone number on it and I thought, I bet that she has moved again since then, but I tried it and there she was. Her husband had died and she lived alone now and was very into religion and did huge Bible studies and was very firm in her beliefs. I am as well, but some of the things she was telling me, I didn’t really understand until the day she was telling me that when Revelations happened, she was going to be one of the only ones that were saved, not me. That did not sit well with me, but I found out soon that she also wanted politics to be in the church like Democrats and Republicans. That I had to tell her I thought was wrong. She had stopped going to church for 2 years after her husband passed, which I thought was very odd as when I started to lose my relatives I went to church so often and prayed for peace as even though I knew that they were in Heaven, the loss was painful that I couldn’t see or talk to the ones I loved so much. In further conversations with this person she changes denominations 10 times when she went back to church again. That certainly is OK, but she was looking for that church that was political. Well, to end this story, I spoke to my minister about the things she was saying to me and she told me, Betsy, it is best to stay away from her as she said in the deep South there were many people that were White Nationalists and that is not the way our church feels. They do not like black people and are prejudiced about others. Well, it did not take long as the next time we were talking on the phone, she got the impression about who I was going to vote for in the November election. I did not tell her, but I said, you should really think about both candidates before you choose. She said back, I know you are voting for ********** and she hung up on me. That was the icing on the cake. I again told my minister about this and she was very worried about me. I said that she had hung up on ME and so knowing her, that was the end of our friendship and she has not called me since. With everything else I am going through, I don’t need to be told, that she is one of the only people that will be saved and not me plus all the other strange things she said. I just prayed to Jesus for peace from this very disturbing incident. As your story said, today I pictured Jesus sitting next to me and He gave me peace. Thank you Becky. Your devotions are very uplifting, but now I need to get to church so I wish you a Blessed Sunday and a wonderful weekend. Sorry I went on and on………Betsy Basile
May you find peace at your service. I will be watching my service via Facebook since I won’t get a rental car until tomorrow. I also find it hard to talk with some friends who are so caught up in the political scene that it blinds them to what is going on around them. I look inward and think the classic “What would Jesus Do”? That is when and where I find my answer. I have distanced myself from some people while not totally forgetting them. We have agreed not to talk politics when we are together and to pray for each other and our country and to remember God is in control. I also know a few very strict religious people and I also distance myself knowing they will not understand unless they look to Jesus and his acceptance of everyone who believes. Blessings upon you this day.
Betsy, I’m sorry that friendship turned out not be to a safe and encouraging space for you. May God continue to ground you in His unchanging love and unshakable peace.
Thank you for this much needed message. I had a car accident on Friday night on the way home with a friend after a fun day. Thank the Lord no one was injured, 3 cars involved. That was blessings. But I felt like a zombie afterwards and still not clear in my mind what exactly happened, it all was so fast. And then I learned my car might be “totaled” because it is 10 yrs. old. It has been the best car ever. But all day I was getting messages from the Lord by calls and texts from family and friends reminding me that God is with me, beside me, keeping my friend and I safe. The car will be repaired or replaced all according to God’s plan. They made it a nonreportable accident and everyone is safe, no matter what the sequence of events were. Praise the Lord Always!
♥️♥️
Judy, I’m so glad you and others involved are safe. You have just the right attitude. In all things God is faithful to provide for what we need.
This is timely! Recovering from back surgery – may need another back surgery. Walking is difficult! Intubation caused a broken front tooth and fat lip and I am praying for that to be fixed soon. Dr visits and meds ahead. So many things we take for granted. God is good and I am so thankful He promises to never leave us. ♥️
Jan, I’m praying for your full healing and peace in the process. You are loved!
Your comment, no matter what happens next, terrifies me. The fear of what God will allow next worries me.I pray that the blood of Jesus pours over our family. Please pray for healing
Julie, my heart goes out to you sister. I think of how 1 John 4 tells us that perfect love casts out fear. God’s love for you is perfect! The brokenness and hardships of this world are not his punishment. I pray you experience more deeply God’s goodness and love—that promises to be with us and sustain us in every challenge and trial.
Becky,
Yes-Thank God we have Jesus in Everything!
I shared your devotion as this is GOOD NEWS and so easy to forget.
Sending you autumn joy,
Lisa
Thank you, Lisa!
Thank you for this! Amen and again Amen!
Linda Schutte
I’m grateful it was meaningful to you, Linda! Thanks for reading today.
Thanks for this reminder. I think I needed it.
Beautiful.
Well done.