Peace

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”                                                                         Luke 24.36

This verse occurs in a narrative that surely covers a time of much upheaval and confusion. The disciples would have been reeling from the cruel and sudden death of their leader. And what of their hopes? This was to have been the Saviour of the world, and now he is dead. But then come reports of some having seen the risen Christ. The two disciples just returned from Emmaus tell how He walked so far with them and they didn’t even recognise Him, that is, until He broke bread with them.

In the midst of this anxious reaction, and the reports that seem incredulous but which they doubtless yearned to believe, Jesus Himself appears. And His first words bring all the reassurance they need, “Peace be with you.”

When Jesus is truly present, peace reigns. Jesus brings peace into any and every situation. He has blessed each one of us with the gift of peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14.27)

Deep peace comes from Jesus. He calmed the storm upon the lake and He calms the storms that trouble our hearts and our lives.

When a situation arises that leads me to panic or leaves me in distress, I know the action I need to follow is to invite Jesus into that situation. I do not stop to judge whether the circumstances will offend or dishonour Him. They cannot! As I invite Jesus in the dynamic is instantly changed. With Jesus, the light of God comes into my circumstance, the peace of Jesus settles upon me, and He will lead me through as I allow Him. Wonderful!

O Glorious Lord,

I receive Your peace. May it flood my being and my life. May it mark the way for me and show the world that You are in me, and I in You.                             Amen.

Foolish

Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared.”                                                      Luke 24.25

Jesus speaks to the two travellers on the road to Emmaus. But His words are for us all.

He considers us foolish because we are slow of heart to believe the truth that is Him. The prophets declared it long ago; He lived it out, but we refuse to believe.

His accusation of us is our slowness of heart. This impacts me. Is my heart slow because my mind is trying to work out His truth? Is my heart giving precedence to my mind? I know there are references to the mind throughout the Scriptures, but they are nowhere near as numerous as the Biblical references to the heart.

David is known as a man after God’s own heart. First and foremost, God is seeking my heart. If I give Him my heart, the rest of me will follow suit.

My work is to subordinate my mind to my heart. I do not ignore or discount my mind but, in the things of God, the heart takes precedence. I will never understand God’s ways – they are beyond human comprehension. He tells me that His thoughts are higher than mine. So let me not get tied up in trying to work God out but, rather, let me simply give Him my heart – and leave the rest to Him.

O Great and Gracious God,

I give You my heart, and I surrender my thinking to Your holy guidance. I love You and I want You to be the force that leads me through this life and into the next. It’s as simple as that!

Take me, Lord, and make me wholly Yours.               Amen.

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