“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.” (John 14:27)
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)
Rest…Sabbath…coincides with peace. But this peace that we long for is not the peace that the world can give. It is not the peace that the world talks about. It is a peace that is beyond human understanding and it cannot be experienced apart from the Spirit of God Himself. The peace that Sabbath is designed to bring is not the absence of conflict. It is not the absence of noise. These are both definitions that the world uses for peace. The world says, “Just leave me alone. Give me peace and quiet.”
Unfortunately, what the world has found out is that in the quietness our “unrest” becomes even more emphasized. Because in the quietness we are confronted with the anxieties deep in our soul. The conviction of our shortcomings and our need for a Savior. Therefore, we rush quickly back to the noise. We turn on the TV…we call someone…we work even when we are not at work…we fill our “quiet” times with busy-ness.
There is good news! The peace that Jesus affords us is not this kind of uncomfortable unsatisfying peace. It is a peace with God that comes through a relationship to Him. It is a peace that is not dependent upon our circumstances. It is a peace…a “quietness” deep within us that gives us rest in the middle of our crowded lives.
The question today is this…are you experiencing that peace? Or Are you overwhelmed with the things of this world and tangled up in the anxiety of daily routine? If you do not have a relationship with Jesus than it’s no surprise…but the Good News is that you can…today…and you can experience that peace.
If you already know Jesus and are not experiencing that peace…stop right now…refocus on the Savior that gave it all so that you could experience it.