by Jeni Harmon
The peace of Christ is our inheritance as believers; given from the Upper Room as a Last Will and Testament by our Savior on the night he knew would be his last. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you…” (John 14:27). It is the settled assurance that I am His, and that He is mine. The sure foundation. The underlying current of blessedness that carries me. The rock bottom which remains when nothing else stands (Deut. 33:27).
Peace with God is the big thing, and makes everything else I have and am in Christ possible. We were enemy combatants with God, ourselves and others, until he made peace through his body on the cross: “He himself is our peace” (see Eph. 2: 12-22), carrying us through life’s trials to the glory of eternity.
Winds of circumstance sometimes blow away the small things that take up bandwidth in my mind, giving me the opportunity to interrogate my faith in the storm. This is good, and causes me to draw from the spiritual stores I’ve hidden in my heart of biblical truth, and of past experience, to remember and feast on in spiritually lean times. Jesus wants me to know that he is real, and that our relationship is real.
Last October, my son deployed to join the 5th Fleet at sea with the US Navy on an aircraft carrier. This was routine, it’s what they do. However, since war began in the Middle East at that time, their ships were under fire by enemies attempting continually to sink or damage the carrier. Definitely not routine.
Clinging to biblical truth, particularly the ultimate reality of peace for the believer: “my sins are all forgiven and I’m on my way to heaven”, helped this mother’s heart find peace. This is the bold relief on which to focus my attention when a difficult circumstance or bitter providence arises. This clarity brightens the path to prayer and action, or in this instance, to wait.
Years ago, I suddenly confronted my own death during a medical emergency. The sweet reality of Christ’s presence and peace, the assurance that “all would be well,” which at the time I thought meant dying imminently, without the chance to say goodbye to my four young children. This was a gift: the powerful peace and holy presence of Jesus. When you come to die that is all you want to have. Remembering that experience during this time brought renewed peace.
Then, I centered these thoughts with a song. Finding a verse, a word, or a song, for the moments when worries arise I have found helpful in the battle for faith, and peace. “In times like these we need a Savior…” sings the great Mahalia Jackson (her humming is enough to settle a lot of disquiet in my mind!) “Be very sure, be VERY SURE, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock.” Yep. That was good. Listening on repeat while driving really did help hit a mental reset in my storm-tossed mind. Our God, the sovereign One, can be trusted. This is how Jesus took a nap on the fishing boat as the tempest tossed and his fishermen friends feared all was lost.
It’s the frustrating small things that often trip me into anxiety, anger – the lack of peace. Seeing more Peace “trickle down” to minor tribulations or first-world problems I face, and to animate my interpersonal relationships is what I want and need. Psalm 133 celebrates the joining of ultimate eternal blessedness (the eternal perspective) with living together in peace (where the rubber meets the road, so to speak) “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity [peace]” (vs.1). We’re given this memorable image: sacred oil pouring over Aaron’s head, onto his beard, and his priestly garments!(vs. 2). Oh, I want Christ’s blood-bought peace to spill over and cover everything in my life. His Spirit does this work, grows this among us, in our words, the tenor and tone of our responses, aligning them more fully with Life and Peace.
*Update: Recently, Sam’s deployment concluded, and the ship and crew are home safe and sound.
Jeni Harmon has been married to Steve for thirty-three years. They are parents to Grace, who is married to Peter, sons Samuel and John, and the youngest, Amelia, who is a high school student and a person with Down syndrome. At Calvary, she loves the Renovare women’s ministry, and Special Impact, a ministry to moms of special-needs children.
1 thought on “Fruit of the spirit: peace”
Thanks for sharing your story about trusting God and experiencing peace. I also have found peace through Mahalia Jackson songs and listen to them often in my car via Apple Music! I love “Until Then.”