Day 13: Peace the World Cannot Give
Bible passage: John 14:27
The Last Gift at the Last Supper
Today is Thursday 13th of January 2022. Welcome to Day 13 of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Over the past few days we have sat at several tables with Jesus. Today we sit at the last one.
The meal is over. Judas has slipped out into the night. Peter has been told that he will deny his Lord. Within hours Jesus will be arrested. And in that moment, Jesus speaks about peace.
A Different Kind of Peace
A Gift, Not a Wage
Jesus tells His friends that He is leaving them a gift: peace of mind and heart. A gift cannot be earned. You can only receive it or refuse it. The disciples had done nothing to deserve it, and within hours they would all run away. He gave it to them anyway.
His Own Peace
He also says that it is His peace. It is the very calm that carried Him through betrayal, a rigged trial and the cross. He is not offering advice on how to feel better. He is sharing what He Himself has.
Not as the World Gives
The world does offer a kind of peace. It tells us we will feel settled when there is enough in the bank, when our plans work out, when everyone approves of us or when we can distract ourselves for long enough. That peace lasts only as long as the circumstances do.
The peace of Jesus is different. It holds when the circumstances are terrible, because it comes from Him and not from them. So He adds, “So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 (NLT)
Open Hands
Making Room to Receive
You cannot receive a gift with clenched fists. Many of us are holding so tightly to control, worry or comparison that we have no hands free for what Jesus is offering.
Put it down. What are you gripping at the moment? Name it and release it to God.
Receive. Paul says that when we bring everything to God in prayer with thanksgiving, His peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6–7). Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with that peace now.
Refuse fear. Jesus tells us not to let our hearts be troubled. There is a choice in that. When anxious thoughts rise today, answer them with His words.
David wrote that the Lord blesses His people with peace (Psalm 29:11), and that the humble will inherit the land and enjoy peace in abundance (Psalm 37:11). That inheritance is yours in Christ.
Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of Your own peace. I confess that my hands have been full of worry and my own attempts to stay in control. I put them down now. I receive Your peace of mind and heart. Guard my thoughts today, and when fear rises, remind me of Your words. Amen.
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