Peace Be With You
by Rosella Shishido, Communications Coordinator
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46: 1-3)
One summer in July, when I was on the 19th floor in the radio station I worked at, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit the city of Manila. The glass walls rattled, and the whole building swayed. Co-workers were screaming, crying, and running for cover. I ducked under a desk and hurriedly prayed, “Lord, if someone has to die, let it be me and not the others.”
It was chaotic, and I was afraid. But at the same time, I had this inexplicable sense of inner peace, the kind of peace that, as the Bible puts it, “surpasses all understanding.” It was a quiet reassurance that God’s got this. He was present and in control. And for me, that was enough. If it was my time, I was confident that He’d be there to welcome me home.
Psalm 46:1-3 is our reassurance that God is present even in the chaos. He’s present and ready to help, give protection, rest, relief, and the means to replenish our strength so we can move on. Picture the Lord lowering the drawbridge to let you into His stronghold when you feel threatened or afraid. He is that strong tower we can run to for safety (Proverbs 18:10).
But how is it possible to have peace on the inside when it’s absent on the outside? It’s because Jesus can show up in our situations to give us peace. He uses it to address our fears.
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. Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20:19-21)
Bible teacher and author Clarence L. Haynes Jr. wrote that when “Jesus greeted His disciples with the phrase ‘Peace be with you,’ .... [it] was far more than just a platitude or casual greeting. ...He had to settle and calm all the emotions that were raging inside of them. He had to speak rest to their souls and peace to their hearts.”
Jesus extends that same peace to us today, if we trust Him to be our Savior. His peace can transcend even the most difficult circumstances, and even when the world feels like it’s being shaken, literally or figuratively.
Peace be with you, Friend.
Reflection:
If you knew that you only had one more week on earth, how would that affect the way you live?
Do you have the 100% assurance of heaven? Why or why not?