Jesus said His peace is a gift. That means you don’t have to work for it, and you can’t earn it. You can’t psych yourself up for it, and you can’t ‘try really hard’ to get it. It’s a gift that we accept by faith. Jesus also said that His peace is unique from what the world provides. In the last 3,500 years, the world has only been free of war for 286 of them – that’s less than 9 per cent. This world’s peace doesn’t last. But Jesus told His disciples, ‘I give you my own peace and my gift is nothing like the peace of this world. You must not be distressed and you must not be daunted’ (vv. 27-28 PHPS). He spoke those words just before He went to the cross. So, God’s peace doesn’t rely on circumstances – it’s an ‘inside job’. Have you ever heard someone say, ‘I need to get away’? This is sometimes known as a geographical cure. We might think that if we leave where we are and go somewhere else, we’ll have peace. That can sometimes help to a certain extent, but it isn’t really a true solution, because it has little effect on our inner peace. Have you ever been so tired that your body collapsed into bed but your mind wouldn’t turn off? Well, you can get away and find peace! How? Jesus gives us the solution: ‘You may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33 NLT). Where can we find peace? Jesus said, ‘In me!’ Today, spend time with Him.
