Are You Waiting in the Right Line?, July 27
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Dan Held
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27 NIV).
By some estimates, humans have enjoyed only 268 years of peace in the past 3,400 years of world history. Similar estimates tell us that the United States has enjoyed only 15 years of peace within our 245-year history.
The world gives peace sparingly, and we count it as being those years when no war is being fought. One might also surmise these years without war are ones in which social injustice is less common and life seems relatively fair, or life stressors are held to a minimum. Some may even count world peace as a kind of lull between storms. Or as a stroke of rare good luck.
Yet we all long for peace.
Those of us who have had to walk through cancer’s valley of the shadow of death imagine our own peace coming through a cure, or at the very least an effective course of treatment. We may long for the peace of being cancer-free. But there is a different kind of peace that we can have, even if we never see any of those outcomes.
In our verse for today Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Jesus gives us peace not as the world gives—but rather at the very time when we are facing the greatest amount of conflict, the fiercest of storms, our worst luck ever, or life’s ultimate injustice or unfairness. The peace of Jesus is given to us when we need it the most and when our stress level seems over the top.
Are you at peace today? If not, you can pray for world peace and strive to wait it out. Or look again at what today’s verse is offering. It says Jesus will freely give you peace today and every day. Are you asking? Are you receiving? Pray for the peace of God that Jesus alone gives—and then have it today, even in your worst of circumstances.
Pray: Loving God, we long for a peaceful world. We seek even to be peacemakers. Remind us today that the peace You give is different. It arrives faster, lasts longer, and changes our hearts from troubled and afraid to calm and secure. Give to us the peace that only Christ can give, for it is through His name we pray. Amen.
Your Turn: Think of world peace as a short line you are standing in but which rarely moves. Think of God’s peace as a long but fast-moving line with Jesus at the checkout. Now don’t hesitate to change lines. You will be glad you did! What worries do you hold in your hands that you need Jesus to cover with His glorious peace?
Dan Held, Cancer Caregiver
Dan is a cancer caregiver who lives with his wife (Sue) of 55 years in Dayton, Ohio, where Sue has been free from breast cancer and colon cancer for two years! Dan is an ordained pastor and a licensed therapist with a heart for families touched by cancer at any stage. He is dedicated to promoting the message of more love and less fear in all aspects of his ministry and life. Check out his blog at www.danielkheld.com.
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