“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.”

2 Thessalonians 3:16

What is it that allows Jesus to sleep in the back of a boat when a violent and raging storm threatens to upturn the boat and cast all of its occupants into a very unwelcoming sea? Mark 4 documents this interaction between the disciples and Jesus. When the disciples wake Jesus up, his first words, ‘Peace, be still!’ and the winds and waves stop. Jesus knew something the disciples didn’t. He was not anxious or fearful in that boat. He did not panic or worry. He slept. He slept because He knew who He was – a child in perfect communion with his Father God.

The peace that is talked about here in 2 Thessalonians in the original Greek is both an internal and external peace. A peace that stills our restless minds and anxious hearts, as well as a peace that speaks to the storms and unrest in our lives and tells them to ‘be still’. The Lord of peace, Jesus, shows us what it is to live a life of peace – Jesus experienced the full range of human emotions: sorrow, weeping, anger, pity, love… and yet in all of this knew perfect peace as the Lord of peace.

“And what was the secret of that unbroken communion with the Father? It lies here, in the perfect submission of His will. Resignation is peace. The surrender of self-will is peace. Obedience is peace. Trust is peace, and fellowship with the divine is peace.” (MacLaren’s Exposition).

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3) Trust in the Lord of peace today. Trust in Jesus. HE is the peace. He is the One who will never leave nor forsake you, who is right next to you in the middle of your storm. He is the One who, in every situation and at all times, offers himself, offers His peace. You, like Jesus, are a child of Father God. Set your mind on Him and trust Him for your peace.