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Exchanged for Peace

By Hannah Etsebeth

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. —John 14:27 ESV

It was 2010, and my longtime friend-turned-new boyfriend was off to the doctor. He had been having an irregular heartbeat for a few weeks, so he booked an appointment and strapped on a heart monitor. A few days later, he sat in front of his doctor to hear the results: “You are completely fine. I suspect you are in love.” Six months later, we were married, and to this day, I remain amused.

Fast forward to 2018, and this time it was my heart that was racing, though once again, because of love. Well, to be honest, love and concern. Our family had just completed a two-and-a-half-year process of adopting our daughter from China, and both my husband and I had job transitions. We had also moved homes (and cities!), started two of our three kids in new schools, completed three major surgeries, and were averaging six medical appointments a week. Life was a lot, laughter was sparse, and peace seemed just out of reach.

But in the midst of all that our family was navigating in that season, I still took comfort in an overall sense of order … that is, until my chest began to tighten, my breathing became shallow, and the undercurrents of what I later came to know as anxiety and mild panic took hold. These symptoms became an obvious sign that something was out of balance. Over time as I sought the Lord about each area and sat with a trusted counselor, my spiritual eyes were awakened that somehow, in the course of doing all that needed to be done, I had gotten off track internally. Not only had I misdirected the responsibility for all outcomes to myself and my ability to manage them, but also fear had taken root in my heart in several areas. As a result, I began to experience physical manifestations of a spiritual problem.

Have you ever been there? Many (if not most) of us have. Following the Last Supper, as Jesus was preparing His disciples for what was to come, He addressed the issue of peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27 ESV). Our Lord Himself fully understood that we would face fear and troubled hearts, and in exchange, we would need His peace. And as we see all through Scripture, we have a choice to receive it. You see, what stands out to me in John 14:27 is not only that His peace is there but also that we have to take a step to gain victory. “Let not” is the admonition Jesus gives us. Don’t let your heart be troubled. Don’t let it be afraid. In our journey toward greater freedom in Christ, there is always a moment when we have to choose to make an active exchange—our life for His life. Our sin for His redemption. Our unforgiveness for His grace. Our fear for His peace.

Many times, when we’re in some sort of turmoil, the easiest thing to do is stay there. There is something about our humanity that would prefer to sit in a pain that is comfortable than have the courage to ask God to take it away. During that season in 2018, I had choices to make. I had to choose if I was going to have the courage to make that active exchange. My fear for His peace. My desired outcome for His perfect plan. Sometimes the exchange of our life for His life—our pain for His healing—may come out as a bold declaration in prayer, and sometimes that exchange comes out as a whisper as we tenderly and carefully lay our deepest concerns before the Lord and wait for Him to meet them. But as we wait on Him and stay in His Presence, I have found that He always meets us there as our hearts are transformed.

Prayer

Lord, I need You. There are areas of my life that are too much for me to carry. There are areas where fear has been the voice in my head rather than the truth of Your Word. Lord, I make a choice today to exchange my fear for Your peace. I lay down my life in exchange for Yours. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

For Further Reflection

1. Write down two areas that are troubling you. Ask the Lord to exchange your troubled heart for His peace.
2. Sit quietly for a few minutes in God’s presence. As you present these things to Him, take a moment to hear from Him as you make the holy exchange.