Unfinished Faith: Relearning God.

Week 19: .

The bit where I introduce: 

Have you ever experienced the kind of exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix?  I have. The kind that comes from carrying too much internally while still somehow functioning externally. You smile, you answer emails, you show up for people, you keep moving. But…underneath it all is this low-grade ache for rest, not just physically but spiritually.

Peace is strange because most of us chase it through control and condition. If the situation resolves, if people behave or apologise, if finances improve, if grief softens, if anxiety leaves…then we will have peace. In this week’s devotion, we highlight that Jesus speaks about peace differently, not as the absence of chaos, but as something that can exist in chaos!

The bit where I refer to the bible: and ask a few rhetorical questions:

John 14:27

Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

I think the poignant part that struck me when I’ve read this verse is the way Jesus makes a clear distinction between His peace and the world’s version of peace.

 According to the world’s version, it is a much sought after concept, but it’s fragile. It depends on circumstances cooperating and all your “stars” in alignment. It disappears when relationships fracture, when grief arrives and when uncertainty enters our space. But Jesus’s version is different because it is not built on stability around us, it is built on the presence of God with us.

If you read the whole chapter, in verse 1 it says do not let your hearts be troubled, you believe in God, believe in me also. So, he’s not denying the trouble exists, he isn’t minimising fear or pretending the suffering isn’t real, in our troubled hearts, He so beautifully invites trust within the uncertainty. I’d argue that is where we need it the most!

 It is important to remember Peace is not spiritual denial or avoidance of pain.

The word for peace often used in scripture is Shalom. Peace carries the rich sense of wholeness, completeness, deep rootedness and restored relationship with God.

In many biblical contexts, shalom refers to things being as God intended them to be. It was used as both a greeting and as a spiritual concept, for example when people greeted one another with shalom, they were not just saying “hello” or “goodbye.” They were expressing a hope that the other person would experience fullness of life, wellbeing and God’s favour. It was relational, communal and spiritual.

The kind that reminds you that you are held by Jesus even when life feels disjointed. our lives are anchored in something eternal rather than shifting circumstances.  Relationships end, people leave, bodies age, well laid plans unravel. Beneath all that His peace and presence remain constant! Even when we don’t feel it.

 Something I constantly remind myself is that peace does not always mean calm emotions. Sometimes it means it continuing to breathe, pray and trust, refusing to to harden my heart when life gives you every reason to do so.

Jesus could speak about this kind of peace, He knew even on the night before his betrayal and suffering commenced. Let’s face it, He wasn’t in ideal conditions, betrayal was coming, the cross was approaching, the disciples were confused, afraid and not reliable.

 Yet, He still spoke of this peace because Shalom wasn’t Jesus denying His reality, it was a quiet confidence in the character and nearness of God within His own reality. Jesus’ life wasn’t a life untouched by pain. This is important when we read His words and think He doesn’t understand the pain we are walking through. He chose to not be ruled by it.

Shalom- peace that allows us to grieve and still trust, question and remain, feel sorrow but still experience the companionship He offers. It is the presence of wholeness, life aligned with God, and our souls held together by His presence even when circumstances are not.

My hope for you in time is that we can fully understand and absorb that Jesus’s presence is really enough to sustain us…always.

The bit where you get to think about stuff: Questions for the week.

What am I currently trying to control in order to feel at peace right now?

Have I defined peace as the absence of problems?

What would it look like for me to receive peace as a gift instead of something I try and make myself?