“Truth sheds light on all things so I can see everything clearly. It is Divine Perspective.”
Laura Lane from “I Touch the Heavens”
Peace is so much more than the absence of war
it is the stillness that heals the soul
it the quiet of the night
the hand of God calming our racing heart
holding our hand in the shadows
it is the safety from the storm
it is the angels carrying us to celestial heights
on gentle wings of tranquility
it is what binds us to the heavens
My favourite scripture in the New Testament is John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
As I was studying John 14:27 this last week I discovered something I hadn’t noticed before. John 14:27 is the bookend to a whole lesson that Jesus was giving that starts with John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” I never realized that all of his words about “if you love me, keep my commandments” and “Many mansions” and “I am the way, the truth and the light” are all there to teach us not be afraid. These words are there specifically to help us feel as peace. These words are to help us gain a divine perspective.
He is telling us that we will have the gift of peace once we have enough faith to trust God.
In the past whenever I read the scriptures where it seemed that God was demanding that we obey Him, since the time of Adam and Moses that He has issued commandments to His people, it didn’t fit in with every thing I know about Jesus and how loving both He and the Father are.
In John 14, Jesus repeatedly tells us that He and the Father are one, of one mind, one heart. Everything I learned about Jesus is that He loves us, and God loves us with all their heart, mind, soul and strength, so why would He on the other hand be demanding? I knew I must be missing something.
Everything I have learned in my studies has pointed me to a different understanding of Obedience. God is not a towering controlling father who insists we do everything his way. Not “DO AS I TELL YOU OR ELSE”. When God asks us to obey Him, He is inviting us to listen to his council, internalize it, and try it out.
When Jesus says “ If you love me, keep my commandments” He is asking us to keep his council close to our hearts. Internalize it. Live it. Make them your watchword. He is teaching us that by keeping His council, trusting His advice, it will give us comfort. That the spirit of truth will whisper to you and you will know you are not alone.
If we learn to do that, we will can then become one with God and Jesus just as they are one.
You will feel their love, their love for you, and you will feel greater love for them.
And Jesus’s promise is that when we do forget, the Comforter will be there to bring all these things back to your remembrance and continue to teach you along the way.
That is the Peace that He promises us. John 14:27 is truly the bookend to John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled.”
I would invite you to reread John 14 and see what new perspectives you gain as you look even more closely at Jesus’s council in this chapter.
What could you look at differently in you life so you could feel more at peace?
“Joy and peace come from a divine perspective.”
Laura Lane from “I Touch the Heavens”