Advent Devotional: Make Room for JesusSample

Day 11: Make Room for Peace

After Jesus was crucified and buried, His disciples were unsure what to do. They feared the Jews were going to come after them. So one evening just a few days after the crucixion, they gathered together and locked the doors. They had heard Jesus' promises that He was the Messiah but, in those few days of uncertainty, they felt anything but peace. Things looked very hopeless. Until Jesus showed up.

"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” - John 20:19-21

Surely the disciples were reeling as they witnessed Jesus standing ALIVE in the room with them that was locked. How did He get in? And how was He alive? The uncertainty and fear they had been feeling just minutes before came face to face with their new reality. Jesus was alive! He showed them His scars first..the nail scars in His hands and the wound in His side. He made sure they knew it was Him and saw the evidence of the pain He endured so they could be saved. And then He gave them peace. He said it twice in fact… that His peace would be with them as He sent them out into the world. Jesus knew that the world would not accept them. That’s why His peace was such a gift to them. Peace in the midst of uncertainty…it's a gift that only our Savior can give. And one that He promises for everyone who follows Him.

Reflect:

• How is the peace Jesus offers different from the peace that the world offers?
• What does “the peace of God” look like in your everyday situations?
• Why is understanding Godly peace such an important part of growing in our faith?

Pray:

Ask Jesus to do the same thing for you that He did for the disciples that day. Ask Him to pour out His peace in your life. Ask Him for a supernatural peace that you don’t even understand. Thank Him for the sacrifice He made on the cross and the gift of peace that only He can give.