Peace remains an elusive desire for mankind—technology may advance, law books may grow thicker, but true peace between nations and neighbors has yet to be seen.

The peace that the Lord Jesus offers those who trust in Him is a penetrating peace. Unlike the peace the world tries to establish, the peace of God is planted within the heart of the individual. It is a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7), the kind of peace that can look a pink slip or a grim diagnosis in the eye, not absent of questions or concerns, but a settled confidence in the One who knows the number of hairs on our heads and who takes notice even when a sparrow falls to the ground.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” –John 14:27

As a little boy, when my heart was troubled by things like bad dreams and scary dogs, my first reaction was to run to my dad. I didn’t know how or why he could make everything okay again, but I knew that he could and he would.

Our heavenly Father is the same. Jesus tells us not to be troubled or afraid because His peace is with us. Notice there are no qualifiers to Jesus’ statement about not being afraid. He doesn’t say, “…unless the stock market crashes,” “…unless you hear the word ‘cancer,’” “…unless you can’t see a way out of your dire circumstances.”

Jesus’ words are those of the all-knowing God, the One who knows the beginning from the end. Before we were even born, God knew the trials we would go through. He knew how wicked our culture would be. And yet He gave the charge—“Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

In the world we are living in today, it is easy to be anxious about our circumstances, about the future of this world. But as followers of the risen Messiah, the peace of God is a “new birthright,” something we have access to through Jesus. It is our privilege and responsibility, not only to receive that peace, but to tell the tempest-tossed world how they might have it too.

What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace,
Buried deep in the heart of my soul;
So secure that no power can mine it away,
While the years of eternity roll.
–W.D. Cornell
(Public Domain)

About the Author

Ty Perry

Ty is the Assistant to the North American Director for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. He assists with strategic planning, organization, and growth of the North American Ministries department. He also ministers to the Jewish community by building relationships through volunteer work with various pro-Israel/Jewish organizations, a Bible study with rabbis, and care for Holocaust survivors. Ty also speaks in churches and at Christian colleges about Israel and the Jewish people. Ty resides in the Metro-Detroit area with his wife, Lissy, and their two children. You can support Ty's ministry online here.