“…Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” (Luke 24:36).

Jesus made this statement to his disciples after his resurrection. Luke reports that after Jesus appeared to two of the disciples who were traveling along the road to Emmaus discussing all the events that had transpired regarding Jesus’ crucifixion and the discovery of his empty tomb, then he showed up in the midst of all the disciples, startling them. He told them, “Peace be with you.”

This is more than a pronouncement of a blessing. This is a state of being. Peace is absence of hostility; it is reconciliation. It is unity with our fellow Christians and with God. It is only possible through the work of Jesus. As the apostle Paul explains, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Most of us want more peace; and if we have it, we want to keep it. When my life seems anything but peaceful, whether it is because of circumstances around me or concerns within, one of my “go to” verses is from Isaiah “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3). What sound advice! When my peace is compromised for any reason, I need to turn to the LORD; I must renew my mind by meditating on His Word and being thankful for His blessings. Here are some verses about peace that will help us to claim this promise of peace.

Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be our Prince of Peace.

When Jesus was born, the angels announced, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Jesus made this promise before his crucifixion: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).  

The Apostle Paul proclaimed that in Him, we have “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” to “guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). 

So, when we are fretting or lamenting the state of the world today, the state of unrest in which we all live, let us then turn our hearts to praise our Lord and Savior who has reconciled us to him so that we can rest in the only sure thing, His Peace.

 “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14).

In Christ,

Judy