Course: Faith Over Fear
February 24, 2022 | Dave Rueter
Passage: John 14:27
God’s Peace
God’s peace as expressed here in John’s Gospel is often used as a blessing. The Jewish understanding of peace or Shalom is inclusive of other English concepts such as harmony, wholeness, and completeness. Given this context, the blessing of God’s peace implies a fullness that speaks to contentedness in the comfort and care of God.
Have you ever finished a really good meal at just the right time? One bite more would be too much, but just when you stopped you had been able to savor a great feast and avoid the feeling of being over-stuffed. I know many times, especially with friends or at special celebrations, we overshoot and indulge too much, but that feeling when we get it just right…Wow!
Or maybe is it the peace and satisfaction of a job well done. Then we are able to walk away from a well-done presentation or creative project knowing that we did our best and things worked out well.
The world does not provide this peace. The world is filled with disruptions to our peace and satisfaction. The world is actually at times actively seeking to create dissatisfaction in order to sell us on the next latest and greatest solution to our ever-growing needs. No, the peace God gives is deeper and more permanent than any quick rush of peace the world might provide.
Therefore our hearts are not troubled. We still remain in the world but are no longer tossed about by the daily changes and challenges that come our way. God’s peace is the final element that removes from us the need to fear.
Thoughts for Reflection
How have you experienced God’s peace in your life?
Course Information
There are a great many things that a capable of causing us to fear. Yet, God instructs us many times in Scripture to "fear not." In this series, we will explore how it is that God casts out our fear, enabling us to live lives of faith over fear.
