DEVOTION – DAY 580

John 16:33 “Jesus Gives Us His Peace”

John 16:33 “I 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”

Jesus was with His disciples and He was preparing them for His impending departure from them. Jesus was heading to the cross. In v32, Jesus had foretold that a time was coming when all the disciples would be scattered. He wanted to leave them with words of encouragement. Thus, in v33 above, we find contrasts between “in me” and “in the world”, and between “peace” and “trouble”. Jesus tells us that if we remain in Him, we will find peace, even when we may find that our circumstances and surroundings, that is this world, may be full of trouble. We will find peace whenever we are walking closely with Him because Jesus has overcome the world – this was fulfilled when He completed His work on the cross to atone for all our sins. He was raised to life on the third day, thereby signaling that we too have been raised to a new life in Christ, a life that we can draw from His strength to face life’s many challenges as we move forward.

We received news recently that a friend was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The tumor had spread and that treatment has to be aggressive. Our friend had been actively serving in his church for many years. I also served with him together in a ministry for some years. I remembered that he was always cheerful despite challenges. This is because he had learnt that Jesus is with him, and Jesus will help him go through every challenge. Even though his diagnosis is serious, he continues to trust the outcome to the Lord. He knows he cannot do anything and there is no point in worrying about the situation. In so doing, he is at peace with the Lord. It is a reminder to us all that no matter what the new year will bring, we can have peace because the Lord is with us always.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we praise you for you are the Lord of Peace. You always go ahead of us and you assure us that you have overcome the world. Please help us to walk closely with you in the new year and may your peace be upon us as we face every challenge ahead, trusting that you will lead us through and all glory goes to you. We humbly pray in the great name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. Whenever you face challenges, what is your normal reaction to them? 
  2. How do you go about overcoming the challenges in your life? Do you get stressed out? Do you panic?
  3. How has God’s peace help you during times of trouble in the past?
  4. Why is it important for you to trust in Him and remain close to Him as you face this new year?