Peace in Troubled Times
Trouble. It is everywhere. Trouble at home, abroad, at school, work, and even in our communities whether church or friends. The conflict in Israel and Palestine has today seen at least 10,000 lives lost, many of whom are children. A shooter in Maine recently killed 18 people before killing himself. Inflation is impacting the United States and people are struggling to survive financially. Trouble is everywhere.
Jesus, being the all-knowing and prescient God in human flesh that he is, predicted the never-ending challenge of trouble as the writer of the Gospel of John records:
“I [Jesus] have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV).
Jesus shares these words at The Last Supper, right before he would be arrested, beaten, and then crucified. He is warning his disciples of the challenges that lie ahead, but he is also offering hope. To paraphrase Jesus,
“I am warning you that trouble is coming. There is only trouble, suffering, and constant challenge in this broken world and fallen existence for humanity. But I’m preparing you for this so that you can steady yourself with my peace. This world brings trouble, but I bring peace. You will not find eternal and enduring hope and peace in this world, but you will find an assurance of my love and my future for you in me.”
Jesus’ peace is not a remedy to ward off trouble; trouble will always exist. Some trouble we can avoid, such as self-inflicted trouble, but the complexities of the world in which we live will always bring us trouble and challenges. We will always experience trouble, without even having to look for it. But in Jesus, we find peace.
Trouble reminds us that this world and this life are not our permanent home, and in that reminder, we find peace. Trouble reminds us that despite our status or wealth in this world, we cannot avoid the pain and sorrow that this life gives. And so, we find peace in the reality of a God who is beyond the pain and trouble this world gives but also near to bring peace in the midst of the trouble. Trouble that is unavoidable and seems to swallow us whole cannot take away the inner peace that comes from finding our hope and eternal salvation in Jesus.
The peace that we experience is a reminder of the hope and salvation that awaits us in God’s eternal kingdom beyond this life. It is a piece of eternity and “Immanuel” or “God with and within us” that brings us peace and steadies us in turbulent times. In this bit of heaven within, we can experience peace in troubled times.