In a world of noise and chaos, do you ever ask yourself, “Is peace possible”?  I mean, I’m a believer, and Jesus promised, “My peace I give you”; so why is it I’m not experiencing peace?

Peace I leave you, My peace I give you;
not as the world gives, do I give to you. 
Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.
~~John 14:27~~

This verse was the key verse in a devotional I read this morning.  I was tempted to just read the verse, knowing I have read it so many times before, but instead I began pondering, which led to choosing to look up main words and phrases in the original language; and I’m so thankful I did.  

Jesus said “My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you.”  The world’s peace comes from the outside-in.  Things are going smoothly, you feel peace.  Jesus’ peace is from the inside-out because it doesn’t rely on circumstances, but instead on the unchanging stability and constancy of God. 

Peace (eirene) is defined as the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ (inside), and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatever sort that is (outside).  

So Jesus gives us His peace, but then He follows it up with a command, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful”.  So let’s take a look at those definitions. 

• Troubled (passive–the subject is the recipient of the action) to stir or agitate (as roiling water); to strike one’s spirit with fear or dread.  
• Fearful (active–the subject is the doer of the action) to be timid or fearful. 

When I saw the parsing of these two words, a lightbulb went on!   Since “troubled” is passive, this is the body’s initial emotional reaction. Situations make us feel a certain way. But the word fearful is active, meaning I am choosing to fear.  If I don’t rein in the “troubled” emotion, I am choosing to allow it to control my behavior, making me fearful, timid.  Don’t let the “troubled” emotion linger.  Once again, God is reinforcing to me, “You can have a feeling without the feeling having you”.   

You can have a feeling without the feeling having you.

At the end of the devotional, it asked a question.  “Will the people around you see and experience the peace of God today because of you?” Well, if I follow Jesus’ commands, they will.  

My reactions matter

I came away from digging into a verse I’ve read many times before with a fresh perspective.  My reactions matter. People are watching, even those in my own home. What are my reactions telling them about the power of the Spirit of God to help me control my emotions?  

Oh Spirit, please reveal to me when I am passively allowing circumstances to dictate how I think and feel,  and then enable me to take thoughts and feelings captive and bring them into subjection to You, so that the peace Jesus gave me will be evident in my life.