Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
John 20:26
At first glance it is easy to be distracted by the miracle of Jesus appearance in a locked room. But don't get lost in the flash. Consider the situation. Jesus had been crucified before the eyes of the disciples, and His suffering put on public display. Everything they had followed was seemingly gone. Where do they go from here? What does it all mean? What in the world is happening? Everything is changing in an obvious way, but the reason and needed perspective are unclear.
We have all experienced times in life when we asked the same questions. What is happening? What is next? There is a feeling of shock and unrest. The loss of a friend or family member, the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship, or even the loss of a pet. There is such a sense of unrest in the face of grief. The human experience of grief includes anger, denial, shock, etc. None of those include tranquility or calm. It is as if you are enduring a great storm of emotion.
During my college years, a hurricane hit the Gulf Coast of which I was living about 100 miles inland. The storm came straight in to our little college town of Auburn, AL blowing all night long. The winds were sustained around 80-100MPH. There was one point in which there was an erie calm. We could see some of the destruction by the street lights, but almost no wind was blowing. We were in the eye of the storm.
When Jesus entered the grief stricken room of disciples unbeknownst to them, he said, "Peace be with you." He was the calm, content, completeness they needed in an emotional storm of life. Even bigger than that, Jesus was the calm, content, completeness the world needed in it's brokenness. The ministry of the incarnation was peace in the midst of grief and turmoil. It was healing for the brokenhearted. It was a peaceful eye in the midst of the storm.
During the storms of life that you experience now, will you cling to Him as He enters the room saying, "Peace be with you"? Allow Him to be the eye of the storm. There is much needed peace in the midst of all of our lives. The circumstances may be irreversible, but there is calm in Christ.
May the lyrics of this song comfort you in the midst of trouble, and may the Son of God minister peace to your heart.
All who sail the sea of faith
Find out before too long
How quickly blue skies can grow dark
And gentle winds grow strong
Suddenly fear is like white water
Pounding on the soul
Still we sail on knowing
That our Lord is in control
Sometimes He calms the storm
With a whispered peace be still
He can settle any sea
But it doesn't mean He will
Sometimes He holds us close
And lets the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes He calms the storm
And other times He calms His child
He has a reason for each trial
That we pass through in life
And though we're shaken
We cannot be pulled apart from Christ
No matter how the driving rain beats down
On those who hold to faith
A heart of trust will always
Be a quiet peaceful place
Sometimes He calms the storm
With a whispered peace be still
He can settle any sea
But it doesn't mean He will
Sometimes He holds us close
And lets the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes He calms the storm
And other times He calms His child
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