Day 29: Jesus is the Prince of Peace

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” JOHN 14:1–3; 27 ESV

THE DAY I WROTE today’s devotional entry was the day after Christmas, and you know what I remember most about it? Waking up early to the most serene sound of silence. It took me a moment to adjust because even though we live on a five-acre “farmette” way out in the country, there’s almost always some kind of rural alarm clock like the distant crowing of a neighbor’s rooster or the cows of another neighbor mooing or birds singing in the cedar trees outside my bedroom or our oldest, sweetest dog Cookie begging to be let out because her bladder’s even weaker than mine! But this morning there was nothing but quiet, so I got out of bed and before I even opened the curtains, I realized, “Oh, it must be snowing.” And sure enough, when I looked outside, those Tennessee hills our log home is nestled among were wearing robes of white.

I stood at the window for a long time soaking in the beauty of the landscape. All of the severe browns of winter, the leafless trees and dead grass, and even the damage caused by the ice storm we had on Christmas Eve were gently camouflaged by snow. The soundscape was lovely too, because the blanket of snow muffled harsh sounds (like the rumble of a lonely salt truck on the highway down below) and seemed to accentuate softer noises (like the dripping icicles on the deck or the soft snoring of my daughter, who had been sleeping in my room that Advent season because what I thought was a two-day tiling project in her bathroom had stretched into a multi-week adventure complete with a toilet in the middle of her bedroom!).

Of course, I didn’t mind sharing my bed with Missy for a few weeks—despite her kicking like a mule, hogging the blankets, and systematically scooching me to the edge of the bed throughout the night until I’m clinging to the outside seam of the mattress to keep from being dumped on the cold floor! Who knew that an unconscious sixth grader could so effectively and entirely command every inch of a king-sized bed? Yet as incongruous as it may sound, enjoying a bit less sleep due to nocturnal shoving for those sweet few weeks was as quieting internally as the fresh snow was externally. Because I never dreamed my life could be that peaceful, much less have the faith to pray that it would be so.

I spent decades running as hard and fast as I could in the hopes of attaining God’s pleasure and other people’s approval. I was so worried about not being enough that I sacrificed much of my security and contentment on the altar of anxiety. Even after I matured to the point of cognitively understanding that God’s love isn’t accelerated by my productivity—that my worth isn’t equivalent to my work—my heart still wasn’t quiet. It had danced to the deafening tune of “I don’t deserve” for so long that it took a while for the divine melody of serenity to become emotionally audible, for our Savior’s generous promise of a life rich in peace and poor in trouble to become my natural rhythm.

So, as you can imagine, it felt somewhat surreal to sit there on that snowy, late-December morning, sipping a hot cup of coffee beside a cozy fire in the company of two sleeping dogs and one sleeping daughter, flushed with fresh gratitude. I didn’t have the strength to lug my heavy, hypervigilant heart to a place of tranquility, but Jesus did.

As you walk into this day, remember: peace may not come naturally to you, but it is possible. Its Prince went to great lengths to bring it to you, so perhaps take a moment to simply pause long enough to let it surprise you. It is there for you to sit and savor for a while, no matter what circumstances or window you find yourself looking through.

• IF YOU HAD to paint a picture or scene of peace, what would it look like?
• READ JOHN 14:1 and 1 Peter 5:7. What is your “loudest” trouble/worry this season?
• TAKE A MOMENT to reflect on a relationship and/or situation God has redeemed in your life that you’re especially grateful for. Does intentional gratitude help quiet your worry and restore some measure of peacefulness?