Day 58: Peace Amid Chaos
Read: John 14:15-31
Growing up, there was a period when the only constant in my life was change. My parents divorced, I lived with my grandparents, my mom left my siblings and I, and I moved houses five times, all in a very short period. During this time, everything felt scattered and tangled—life was chaotic and full of tension. I felt abandoned and alone. Only two things seemed able to keep me sane and grounded: my youth group and my Bible. To distract me from everything happening at home, I would spend most of my time at church—thirsty for God and desiring Him to lead me through the Word. It was during this time of desperation that I found the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who was promised by Jesus, to be a great help.
As we begin chapter 14, Jesus is leaving His followers to go and prepare a place for them. He already tried to reassure His disciples that if they trusted Him, they would not be lost—instead they would have “the way, the truth, and the life.” He continues comforting them in verses 15-31.
Jesus says, “‘I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you’ . . .‘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.’” (v. 18-20, 27). Jesus does not abandon His followers. He promises to give us the gift of peace for mind and heart through His Spirit. This promise of Jesus helped me not to freak out over the chaos surrounding me. Jesus understands what I was going through. He knows suffering, and still has peace in His relationship with His heavenly Father. The same goes for us in our relationship with Jesus; we see Him, He lives in us, and we share His peace. In my own situation, the more I concentrated on this, the more peace I felt.
The promise of the Holy Spirit, our Helper, has already been fulfilled. We read this passage with the knowledge that it has already happened, but it’s still encouraging to read that when Jesus was leaving, He was not leaving us alone. He was not abandoning us. As Christians, we know we can rest easy in times of anxiety and disorder because He has left us with a gift that allows a way for peace of mind and heart. Loving, trusting, and obeying the Father and His Spirit is the way Jesus calls us to follow, and the fruit of that life is peace.
Are you working through a season of chaos? Or struggling to find peace? Take a moment, quiet your heart and mind, and give all your anxieties to the Lord—He cares for you. Trust and know that He is with you through the Holy Spirit and you are never alone.