DAILY DEVOTIONAL
June 7 — Peace, not the absence of noise
A spoken reading of this is being recorded — it will appear here soon.
June 7 — Peace, Not the Absence of Noise
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." — John 14:27 (KJV)
Jesus says His peace is not like the world's peace. That phrase is doing real work.
The world's peace is usually subtraction. Less noise, fewer notifications, a quiet house. Those are good things to seek. They are not what Jesus is offering. He is offering a peace that holds in the noise, not only when the noise stops.
The disciples heard this in the upper room the night before the crucifixion. The next twenty-four hours would not be quiet. They would be the loudest hours of their lives — soldiers, a trial, a crowd shouting, nails. Christ gave them peace anyway. Not as the absence of those hours. As something underneath them.
A family living through a busy week needs to hear this. We can take the practical steps. Put the phone in the other room at dinner. Keep one drawer screen-free. Walk to the grocery store instead of driving. Those help. But the peace Jesus is offering is not contingent on a perfectly arranged household. It is given to disciples in the middle of a storm. It is His peace, not our setup.
A short practice: at one anxious moment today, before you reach for a phone or a snack or a vent, say one sentence inside. Lord, give me Your peace, not mine. See what happens.
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." — Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)
May the Lord bless you and keep you.