August 23rd

AUGUST 23rd

A little bit more on both/and today. Last week we talked about how we can have BOTH joy AND grief at the same time. Jesus give us abundant life AND the enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy us. We read John 10:10.

We also looked at John 16:33, but let’s read that again.

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We talked about how we could have troubles AND also have peace. Let’s take that a little farther. Jesus told us that we would have trouble but that IN HIM we may have peace. When hard times comes we will only have peace if we stay in Him. The first verse in that chapter is Jesus say that He is telling them these things so they don’t fall away. He knows the only way we can have peace is through HIM, regardless of whether we have troubles or not.

The Greek word for “peace” is eirene and it means wholeness, joined as one, rest/peace.

This is not the definition of peace you were thinking was it? But remember we have learned that the word for peace in Hebrew is Shalom which means “may you be all that God created you to be/wholeness.”

So when troubles come we lean in to Him and there we will find peace, wholeness, joined to Him, one with Him. So we have BOTH trouble AND we find wholeness. He wants us to lean in to Him when troubles come, instead of letting them waylay us. Then in that verse He tells us to take heart or take courage because He has overcome the world.

So look at Matthew Chapter 14 (verses 22-32) which is when Jesus walked on the water and Peter asked Him to call him out to walk on water to Jesus. Jesus knew what was ahead but He didn’t tell Peter not to do it. Verse 29 “Come,” he said. And Peter started walking to Jesus. Now keep in mind this was in the middle of a storm, it wasn’t in calm waters. I’m pretty sure if I was going to ask Jesus to let me walk on the water with Him, I might wait for a calm day to try that out, wouldn’t you? But there’s a lesson here. Jesus could have calmed the storm before Peter came out of the boat. But walking on the water wasn’t the lesson, walking on the STORM was the lesson! Peter saw the strong winds and became afraid, his faith wavered and he started to sink. Jesus caught him and kept him safe. He didn’t calm the storm until they were back in the boat.

And look at verse 27, what did Jesus say before this when the disciples were in the boat in the storm and they thought Jesus was a ghost walking on the water?

Matthew 14:27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

He told them to take courage or take heart. The same phrase in the original Greek that He used in that John 16:33 verse we read above. And you know what that word means in the Greek? It means “to radiate warm confidence!”

Jesus is calling us to Him in the middle of the storm, He is calling us to walk on the storm WITH HIM. He is calling us to have peace IN HIM in the storm!

When storms hit, He wants us to walk on the storm with Him, not try to avoid the storm or do it on our own or be afraid of it or shut down. He wants us to take heart/take courage AND have peace in Him AND walk on the storm with Him. He wants us to walk with Him and radiate confidence because we are with Him in the middle of the storm! He is calling you, “Come.”

Jesus, Thank you for walking with me in the storm, for never leaving me alone, and for calling me to walk with you. Help me to look and listen for you in the storm rather than seeing the waves. Help me to lean in to you and experience your peace so that I can radiate confidence to those around me.