I’m leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.
Jesus in John 14:27 NLT
And the peace that I give you is a gift the world cannot give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Have you ever come across a gift voucher you received some time ago and realise with disappointment, that you’d forgotten to use it? For some of us, it’s a bit like that with the peace Jesus offers us. We’ve read the above verse of Scripture perhaps many times, but haven’t really taken Jesus’ promise to heart and applied it in our everyday lives.
Fortunately, unlike most gift vouchers, there’s no expiry date on the peace Jesus wants to give us. There are many verses in the Bible which refer to peace. In Philippians 4: 6&7 the apostle Paul tells us not to be anxious about anything but, in every situation we’re in, to come to God with prayer and thanksgiving. Then God’s peace, which is beyond our understanding, will guard our hearts and minds. Paul encountered many difficult situations and had proved this to be true in his own life.
Sometimes we think the situation that is worrying us is so insignificant that we don’t want to trouble God with it. I used to think like that until I came to realise that God is interested in every detail of our lives.
1 Peter 5:7 is a wonderful reminder of that— Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
I often bring that verse to mind when I find myself worrying about some silly little thing. What a wonderful, loving God we have! I want to encourage you to take Jesus’ promise to heart and ask Him for His peace when you are faced with situations that cause you anxiety. Perhaps you could ask Him for His peace as you start each day. You’ll be surprised what a difference this makes!
Here is a prayer you might like to use.
Dear Lord, please forgive me that sometimes I am so slow to come to you when I face difficult situations. I bow humbly before you just now asking you to quieten my heart that I might hear what you are saying to me and receive your gift of peace.
Grandma Adele
