Jesus' phrase "My peace" is distinctly interesting and
thought-inciting. What is the peace which He intimates is unlike the
peace the world gives? I daresay that most of us are mistaken as to the
nature of Jesus' peace. When we think of His peaceful life, is it to
dream that His days and years were such, say, as the poet Wordsworth
spent in the lovely lake region of England, quietly, serenely? If we
have so thought we are in error. Nothing could be farther from the
truth. For at least three years, the years of His public ministry, Jesus
lived amidst untoward conditions and in almost constant controversy and
opposition. He was subject to numerous disturbing and disagreeable
experiences. His own family were unsympathetic with His mission. His
kinsmen made His work more difficult and were critical of much that He
said and did. He was never free from the inconveniences of poverty.
After His public ministry began, He seems never to have known the
comforts of a home which He might call His own and to which He might
retire for rest and reflection. His oft-quoted words‚"The foxes have
holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has not
where to lay His head" were not poetry or rhetorical figure, but
soberest truth. The leading Churchmen of His day, who should have been
His friends and supporters, were His bitterest enemies. They regarded
Him as a heretic, an impostor, and a dangerous fellow-countryman. His
was the heartbreaking experience to have the good that He did attributed
to the power of evil. His chosen disciples gave Him a great deal of
trouble, often disappointed Him, sometimes embarrassed Him and made His
rugged way more rugged still.
Yet, despite the annoyances, the turmoil, and the strife in which Jesus lived, the peace that passeth all understanding reigned in His heart. However turbulent His surroundings, inwardly He was at repose. It was Jesus' inner peace that made Him conqueror of outward unrest. He lived in harmony with the Father's will, and His conscience was as untroubled as the placid surface of a mountain lake when the wind has died down and a calm settles over all. No memories of a misspent youth rose up to haunt Him, no feeling of remorse or sorrow of sin darkened the mirror of His spotless life. Thus He moved amidst the distractions, the disappointments, the conflicts and controversies of His day, calm, serene, self-possessed, at peace with God. The peace of Jesus, therefore, was an inward experience, not an outward environment, certainly not freedom from the burdens of life. The way He took was often painful, but His walk was one whose steps were in perfect alignment with the will of the Heavenly Father.
Yet, despite the annoyances, the turmoil, and the strife in which Jesus lived, the peace that passeth all understanding reigned in His heart. However turbulent His surroundings, inwardly He was at repose. It was Jesus' inner peace that made Him conqueror of outward unrest. He lived in harmony with the Father's will, and His conscience was as untroubled as the placid surface of a mountain lake when the wind has died down and a calm settles over all. No memories of a misspent youth rose up to haunt Him, no feeling of remorse or sorrow of sin darkened the mirror of His spotless life. Thus He moved amidst the distractions, the disappointments, the conflicts and controversies of His day, calm, serene, self-possessed, at peace with God. The peace of Jesus, therefore, was an inward experience, not an outward environment, certainly not freedom from the burdens of life. The way He took was often painful, but His walk was one whose steps were in perfect alignment with the will of the Heavenly Father.
''It Is Well With My Soul" sung by Sovereign Grace Music
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