Nougat 22

An interesting Supernatural moment at the time of Y’shua’s resurrection was His words of peace. In the first instance, found in John 20:19, the peace Y’shua offered can be seen as a greeting (though it was used as a farewell) – suggestive of Him saying, ‘I am here.’ One could also hear Y’shua inviting them to walk away from fear of persecution.

And, if one were to see it from a somewhat humerous perspective, we might hear Y’shua warning them that they ought not be perturbed at the sudden appearance of a being in the room … it is only Him. This aligns with the moment afterwards where they view His scars, possibly to verify His claim of being the Christ. Then, once they were calm, He spoke Peace once more, and sent them forth to do His Father’s will.

When we appropriate this second peace as a ‘benediction’ for our own walk, how do we hear it? Could it be the very same Peace that Paul offered the Philippian church in Today’s Holy Nougat?

Philippians 4:7 NLT

[7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Beyond Human Comprehension

Context, you know, is everything when discerning biblical truths. For, though eirēnē transliterates as ‘Peace’, in all three references, Y’shua was not physically present in Philippi – especially since this was a letter, not a personal visit. So we can deduce that although it may be a blessing, peace in this context was not quite a salutation or farewell.

However, in the preceeding verses we read of Paul’s encouragement that they remain constant in praise. While saying so, he then stressed they should worry about nothing, but pray about everything in intercessory thankful prayer. This suggests that all wasn’t perfect in the congregation, so Paul offered practical solutions. In that manner, it is somewhat similar to Jesus entering the fear-riddled Upper Room saying, ‘Peace be unto you.’

Siblings, this is the kind of calm assurance that is beyond what we expect of ourselves. I’d liken it to being in a volatile situation, the kind that was customised for us by the enemy of our souls. (Feel free to identify a past example of situations that triggered doubt, frustration, fear, or anger.) The expectation, even from ourselves, is a standard response.

But this one time, it is as though we were thrust in the Upper Room and Christ Himself came directly to us, offering Peace.

His Peace.

And without even thinking about it, our typical response evaporated. It was replaced by the assurance of Y’shua’s promise: ‘ … As the Father has sent me, I’m sending you [with my Peace].’ That’s the assurance that ‘every little thing, is gonna be alright.’

It is a blessed assurance. It replaces all that other stuff, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). It goes beyond what we can ask, hope for, or imagine. That’s God’s Peace delivered by our Prince of Peace – ours, for the taking, when we start praying.

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May all we seek be found in Christ