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Walk in Peace
Andrea Lende • February 15, 2021
Luke 8:48
Walk in Peace
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Walk-in-Peace-eqeo30
Luke 8:48
“And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your confidence and trust in Me) has made you well! Go (enter) into peace (untroubled, undisturbed well-being).”
Peace.
In these times of, dare I say, mass chaos, I seek peace.
So, as I read this verse today, it had to be the verse I would write about.
Jesus was healing masses of people.
In fact, He was on His way to bring a child back to life.
The crowds surrounded Him when the sick woman touched His garment and was instantly healed.
Jesus didn’t touch her.
He didn’t reach out and intentionally heal her.
She reached out to Him.
She believed that simply touching the fringe on His clothes would heal her.
Her belief and her faith led her to action.
It led her to push through the crowd and reach for the Messiah.
Reach for the healing she had spent her whole life savings on and not yet received.
We know the story well.
There was something new that I saw today in reading this passage.
Jesus called her daughter.
He referred to her as His daughter just like a parent would refer to their children as daughters or sons.
Our story says she is an older woman who had suffered for years.
And yet, Jesus, much younger than she, called her daughter.
We are all God’s children and are somehow more precious than our children are to us.
We have extraordinarily special relationships with our children.
Once born, the world ceases to exist as we knew it.
Our children come first.
We want the best for them.
And when they want something – really, really want something – we do everything in our power to get it for them.
This woman in our story desired health.
As a child of God, He would want that for her too.
And He had the power to grant it.
Jesus said the woman’s faith healed her.
It was really Jesus’ power that healed her.
The woman’s faith simply called forth this healing power.
Not only was she healed, but Jesus also sent her away with peace.
He said, “Go (enter) into peace (untroubled, undisturbed well-being)”.
This woman had been tormented by her disease for years.
He now gave her this precious gift.
One that would change her life and last forever.
Yes, she was given the gift of health.
But she was also given peace.
He told her to walk into it.
She had to do her part to walk in peace just as she had to do her part to receive healing.
Jesus died to give us peace.
We must, however, walk in it.
We must desire it.
We must seek it.
And then receive it.
There are plenty of distractions, chaotic situations, disappointments, and frustrations to keep us from walking in peace.
But if we are intentional about living in peace, we will have it.
Today I choose peace over chaos.
May you find the Lord is granting you peace this day and every day.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, My God, thank You for showing me that I am truly Your child and You desire the best for me. Thank You for showing me You have the ability to heal. You heal broken hearts, broken bodies, and broken spirits. May I sit in Your presence and experience all the healing You desire me to have. Thank You, Father, for making a way for me to come to You and sit in Your presence so You can fill me with Your Holy Spirit and heal all that is broken. Thank You for reminding me that You sent Your Son to give me peace. As I seek You, I live in peace. May I walk in Your peace this day and every day. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the God of peace and offer My peace to you, My child.
Response: Thank You for offering me peace, comfort, and mercy Almighty and gracious God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.