Everyday Prayers for PeaceSýnishorn

Where Do We Really Get Peace?

I have a friend who doesn’t speak plainly. He talks fast, laughs while he talks, and, to top it off, whispers. I have some hearing loss, so you can imagine how hard it is for me when I’m talking to this friend. I would never hurt his feelings by bringing it up. Instead, when we’re together, I just lean in, watch his lips closely, and, sometimes, discreetly cup my ear so I can hear him better.

The Gospels paint a picture in which the twelve apostles were constantly leaning in, watching Jesus closely, and trying to hear Him better so they could understand. I imagine them sitting as close as possible, hands cupped to their ears, minds trying to absorb the true meaning of His words, which, to be honest, were a little difficult to comprehend. Leading up to His arrest, Jesus had often spoken to the people in parables and figures of speech that the disciples struggled to understand, but at the end of John 16, His meaning starts to become clear.

Jesus never told them peace was going to come from their circumstances, how nice their homes were, how many of their prayers He answered exactly the way they wanted, or whether they were physically and emotionally safe. No, after breaking the news that He was leaving and they would be scattered, He told them He would be their peace in spite of their circumstances—which would be troubled while they were living this side of heaven. Not exactly a peace-filled message.

But Jesus never promised to give us peace the way the world defines it. Instead, He promised His own arms to be a respite, a refuge in the storm, a place where we could run to get strength, comfort, and truth to see us through whatever troubled circumstances came our way. Jesus doesn’t just give us peace; He is our peace. So if we want it, we have to run to Him.

Father, thank You for making a way for us to have peace. When the world seeks to trouble us as it always will, we can find peace in who You are and what You did for us through Your Son. Help us learn to run to You. In Jesus’s name, amen.