When the global pandemic brought lockdown to our country, I was amazed at the stillness around us. No cars; no airplanes; no rushing about from activity to activity. The tiny village where we live seemed extra calm and quiet.

The lovely thing about fewer distractions and less chaos was having time to notice what we often took for granted. Our family watched winter slowly fade into blossoms on trees and vines. We greeted a newborn foal and watched it grow in its mother’s care. We planted seeds and rejoiced as they sprouted, grew, and provided nourishment.

And yet, the absence of chaos and activity doesn’t necessarily equal peace. 

While our family enjoyed an outward peace, we had to fight for inner peace. Anxious thoughts about loved ones would rise up. Sadness overwhelmed us when summer plans for a home assignment in the States were postponed indefinitely. Guilt about not being able to help others the way we would normally help weighed heavily on my heart.

Peace for believers, as was preached in our church recently, is not merely the absence of conflict but a sense of being whole. We are broken people in a broken world, and only the Gospel makes us whole. As Jesus said in John 16, our peace is in him. We are made whole through faith in his sacrifice and resurrection which reconciles us to God. Our restored relationship with the Father through the Son gives incomparable peace beyond all circumstances.

In John 14 verse 27, 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.” While the world’s peace is circumstantial, the peace of Jesus transcends our circumstances, making us whole. In his peace, our troubled hearts find faith, and our fear melts away.

Everything outside of Christ falls short of the security and significance only his peace can give. No human relationship, medical treatment, financial resource, or professional status will ever complete us. Only Jesus makes us whole.