Tribulation and Peace
All of us who live in this world will have tribulation. You can't move to another place and find peace in this world. Peace does not come from anything this world has to offer us. Tribulation comes from this world. The world system produces tribulation. Peace is in Christ. When we are in Christ, we can have peace, because He has overcome the world.(John 16:33) Therefore, we will have His peace in the midst of tribulation when we know Jesus and are found in Him. Let me try to explain.
It is as if Christians live in a bubble. We can move about and interact with other people and the things of this world. However, we are in a bubble, so that we have our own environment that is separate from the world. We can influence the people around us and the world system, but nothing can get to us in the bubble. This may not be a perfect analogy, because all analogies break down. However, I believe it gets to the meaning of this verse. Christ is the bubble in which we live. We are in Christ, and we live in the world. Since we are in Him, we have His resources to empower us. One of them is peace. He can give us whatever we need to overcome the tribulation of this world, because He has overcome this world. It is like having a little bit of heaven on earth.
This does not mean that we are exempt from problems and tribulation. After all, Christ was persecuted, tortured, and killed. In all of that, He had God's peace. He is the Prince of Peace. He overcame the world, because when He was killed, He rose again, and now He is in heaven. The same is true for us, once we know Him, and we are in Him. We may be killed physically, but that only ushers us into heaven, the place of total peace and no tribulation at all. Therefore, we can live here with the peace of Christ, knowing we have overcome the world in Christ. That brings a peace that is beyond understanding, as we prayerfully depend on Christ for everything.
Tomorrow, I intend to read John 17-20.
It is as if Christians live in a bubble. We can move about and interact with other people and the things of this world. However, we are in a bubble, so that we have our own environment that is separate from the world. We can influence the people around us and the world system, but nothing can get to us in the bubble. This may not be a perfect analogy, because all analogies break down. However, I believe it gets to the meaning of this verse. Christ is the bubble in which we live. We are in Christ, and we live in the world. Since we are in Him, we have His resources to empower us. One of them is peace. He can give us whatever we need to overcome the tribulation of this world, because He has overcome this world. It is like having a little bit of heaven on earth.
This does not mean that we are exempt from problems and tribulation. After all, Christ was persecuted, tortured, and killed. In all of that, He had God's peace. He is the Prince of Peace. He overcame the world, because when He was killed, He rose again, and now He is in heaven. The same is true for us, once we know Him, and we are in Him. We may be killed physically, but that only ushers us into heaven, the place of total peace and no tribulation at all. Therefore, we can live here with the peace of Christ, knowing we have overcome the world in Christ. That brings a peace that is beyond understanding, as we prayerfully depend on Christ for everything.
Tomorrow, I intend to read John 17-20.