Peace and quiet. If asked, most people would probably say they seek it, long for it, and even need it.

A peaceful life.

A peaceful home.

And the big one, (drum roll, please……..) world peace, we all want that, right?

Peace. It often seems just out of reach – something we can never quite get our hands-on. But that’s not true. Peace is within our grasp; it can be had by us.

Before Jesus left the earth to go sit at the right hand of the Father, He said, “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 14:27

In this statement, Jesus doesn’t promise us just any kind of peace but the Jesus kind of peace. But what does His kind of peace look like? And how is it different from the world’s peace?

The Jesus Kind of Peace Puts Us Back Together

Many of us know a bit about the Hebrew word for peace – “shalom” but probably haven’t heard much about the Greek translation of peace, eiréné. Eiréné comes from the word eirō which means “to join or tie together into a whole.” Interesting. A peace that ties us together into a whole, a peace that binds us…

If peace in our lives binds us together, then the lack of peace must break us apart.

Without peace in our lives

We fret.

We fear.

We fixate on the problem instead of the Promise.

Peace in our lives keeps us from falling apart, from breaking. Whenever I think of brokenness, I think of that famous egg – Humpty Dumpty. You may have heard of him. You know, the one who sat on a wall then had a great fall. Poor Humpty…all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put him together again.

As a child, I loved that rhyme. But I never entirely understood it.

But now a few years wiser, I think I have it figured out. Humpty Dumpty asked the wrong king for help! Yep, that’s it. Humpty was left in pieces because it wasn’t the world’s kind of help he needed; it was the supernatural assistance of the King of kings, the Lord of lords, King Jesus!

Humpty needed Jesus to put him back together again.

We aren’t much different than Humpty, are we? We fall and we need to be put back together. But instead of trusting, and relying on Jesus, we ask the wrong king for help. Sure, we may find a short fix but that fix belongs to the world, not to eternity. Only Jesus can find our broken pieces and make us whole again. Only Jesus can offer us His kind of peace.

The Jesus Kind of Peace Is Eternal

Worry, worry, worry. Fret, fret, fret. It can be like you are on a merry-go-round that just won’t stop, a merry-go-round that makes you dizzy with fear for the future.

Worry troubles our hearts. It makes us feel like we are losing our minds. But Jesus says, don’t do it. Don’t worry. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1).

Ok, Jesus. Easier said than done when that bill remains unpaid, when that family member is still sick or when that child continues to be wayward. The good news is that Jesus doesn’t leave us stuck in our worry. He takes us by the hand, sits us down, and reminds us of this truth:

In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

And this truth:

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.”

John 14:2-3

We don’t need to fear for our tomorrow nor fret about our future. We can have peace in knowing that it doesn’t matter what we are walking through today, our tomorrow is covered. Jesus made a way for us. But more than just a way. He made a place for us with Him in Heaven. A place where worry, fret, and fear don’t exist. A place where every tear is wiped away (Revelation 21:4). A place of perfect peace – the Jesus kind of peace.

But that peace isn’t just for tomorrow. It is for today too. We can have that peace right now because we know what is waiting for us on the other side.

The Jesus Kind of Peace is Not Dependent on Our Circumstances

It is easy to find peace when all is well. But finding peace when all is not well tests us. What happens when the paycheck stops coming, the marriage starts breaking, or the health begins failing? Do worry and fear start to creep in? Do you begin to crack like Humpty?

The Apostle Peter did. He walked on water until He took his eyes off Jesus. Then he began to sink. (Matthew 14:22-33) Jesus rescued Him, but Peter could have avoided the whole “help me I’m sinking” routine in the first place if He’d just kept his eyes on Jesus.

Isaiah 26:3 tells us that God keeps in perfect peace those “whose mind is stayed” on Him because they trust Him. Notice it doesn’t say “because they trust Him only in the good times”. Nope, our trust must be constant. It must be in all circumstances. If we want to live in perfect peace, we should never take our eyes off Him.

That’s tough; yes, but, Jesus didn’t leave us hanging. He showed us how to have that kind of peace.

Remember when Jesus was sleeping on the boat in the middle of a storm? The disciples were freaking out. They thought they were going to die. But not Jesus. Despite the raging seas around Him, He managed to remain calm because He knew He had the authority to still the storm. He spoke to the winds and the sea, “Peace! Be still!” and they were calm. (Luke 8:22-25).

We have the same authority over our fears and worries. We can speak to our fear and our worry, saying “Peace! Be still!” and they will be calmed, even during the wildest of storms. Though our circumstances might rage around us, we can sleep in peace, because Jesus left us His peace – the Jesus kind of peace.

I don’t know about you, but I want what Jesus had. His kind of peace empowered Him to walk this earth, not in fear of tomorrow, or the sacrifice He’d have to make but with His eyes fixed on the joy set before Him in Heaven. He knew what He’d gain and where He’d end up. Oh, to be so eternal-minded. What peace that must bring.

So the burning question remains: will we have world peace during our lifetime? Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know. But what I DO know with 100% certainty is that we can have the Jesus kind of peace right here and right now! We can have a peaceful life and a peaceful home. It is obtainable. We can have a peace that puts us back together, wipes away our tears, and wins despite our circumstances. We can have the Jesus kind of peace!

Stay tuned for how we get this kind of peace.