Peace Be With You

Day 158 of Photo Inspirations — Peace Be With You
There are so many lessons to be learned from the faith journeys of others and when we’re in that atmosphere of thanksgiving and praise, God has the opportunity to get a Word in edgewise.

That’s what happens in my Life Group every Tuesday night.  For example, having encountered some health issues, three of our ladies asked for prayer as they were being called back to the doctor or hospital for additional testings.   Immediately, one of our strong women of faith, quite confidently and boldly said, “Peace be with you.  Do not fear.  God is with you.  Cast down imaginations.  Be strong and of good courage because God is for you and you will declare His glorious works.”  She was so passionate that it startled some of us, but we realized it was God, Himself, Who made His presence known…..and replaced our concerns with “PEACE be with you!”

I started thinking about that strong word and, I thought about the disciples after Jesus died — afraid and hiding in the Upper Room.  THEN, the risen Lord appeared to them.   “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “PEACE BE WITH YOU!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”  John 20:19-21

It’s tempting to scoff at the disciples for their weak faith. But, we’re no different. Like the disciples, we don’t always understand what God is doing in our lives. We read His clear promises in the Bible, yet often succumb to concern, fear and doubt when life gets tough.  Jesus came into my house on Tuesday night.  He spoke those beautiful words “Peace be with you!”

I pass THIS WORD on to you today.  Perhaps you are facing some extreme volatile situations, potential failures, negative medical reports, relationships that are broken and many other worries and concerns.  

God loves us, as He loved the disciples.  He wants us to know HIS peace.   Think of it, those disciples had walked and talked with Jesus.  They witnessed miracle after miracle.  And while we sometimes want to roll our eyes at them because of their wishy-washy faith, we can be very grateful to them for providing us an object lesson in human ignorance… and divine patience.  Like Jesus said to them, He says to you and me today, “Peace be with you!”  Now, let’s receive that Word, and make it our own today!