Heard With Every Word

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27

Have you prayed and felt like it bounces back from the ceiling? You were more likely talking to yourself, mumbling about things and you want to say all of your complaints in one blow. The problem is that there is no one word to describe what you feel when you struggle. As we always hear it said, when it rains, it pours.

There are just some difficult things that can change the trajectory of our lives. Our plans get redirected even if we try to navigate through the changes. Uneventful turn of events lead us to the interstate highway. The change is too fast and we can’t take a grip of the new reality. On the other hand, unexpected twists and turns slow us down. We try to take a step forward but our feet our stuck to the ground.

We can’t spell out trouble one way. It comes to us in different directions whether we are ready for it or not. It comes to us unannounced. One day the sun is shining above you. The next day, a tornado comes without warning. The sirens blast too late. People have been left without a roof above their heads and all their memories, both good and bad are blown away.

And like the weather forecast that changes from day to day, do we have a full-proof shield that can surround our minds and our hearts so as not to give way?

You may not know it just yet. But we have a gift that is ours for the taking. God has heard you in your trouble and the fear that’s arising. And it is through theses troubles, hardship, struggles that we face does this gift is unraveled. It is a gift of peace, of mind and of heart. The uncontested kind of peace that our temporary patch work cannot handle.

Before you say a word of prayer. Jesus heard the groans that your soul can only muster. The unspoken words to describe your torture, he knows before you utter. Yet he longs for you to express an angered tune, a hopeless case, an impossible request. His ears are open 24/7. He hears every word that you thought bounces to the ceiling.

He ordained peace as a gift that you can always unwrap. It is not something that he offered to you and you turned it down. If you did, he left it by the coffee table. Open it when you need a surprise of peace in the middle of your chaos.

Receive God's gift of peace. The peace he gives is not troublesome. His peace is fearless.

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