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Peace be with You

John 20:19 – “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
John the beloved disciple records the words of Jesus in one of His post-resurrection appearances. In this chapter, Jesus finds His disciples in hiding behind locked doors.  They are bewildered and filled with fear.  Verse 19 in the New Living Translation reads, “That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.”
Oftentimes we find ourselves in the same state as these disciples.  Like the disciples, we often do not understand what God is doing.  The disciples didn’t expect the One they followed to be crucified and die.  They could not see God’s overall plan of redemption.
Many times when we are transitioning from one season to another season in our spiritual journey we cannot see God’s overall plan.  We don’t understand what He is doing, and we find ourselves in a place of confusion and fear.
What the disciples of our Lord did not realize was that in just a few short days they were going to experience the first outpouring of God’s Spirit, which would give birth to the New Testament Church and launch them into powerful ministry.
When we are bewildered and we do not understand the overall plan that God has for our lives we must remember the words of Jesus, “Peace be with you.”  There may be a storm raging in your life right now, but in the midst of your storm, the Lord can suddenly come and calm your fears. His words to you today are, “Do not be afraid.”  “Peace be with you.”

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