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Peace for Your Spirit

(First in the Eight Gifts of the Resurrection Series)

We’re beginning a journey called Eight Gifts of the Resurrection — eight powerful blessings that Jesus gives us because He lives.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll explore:

  1. Peace for Your Spirit
  2. Pardon for Your Past
  3. Purpose for Your Life
  4. People to Live With
  5. Power to Love Generously
  6. Pathway to Unity
  7. Presence of the Spirit
  8. Perspective for the Journey

Today, we start with Peace for Your Spirit — a gift we all deeply need.

After Easter... What?

Easter Sunday is a beautiful high point — the music, the flowers, the celebration, the joy of the empty tomb.
But after Easter, real life sets back in.

The bills still need to be paid.
The doctor's appointment still looms.
Relationships still need tending.
The world still feels uncertain.

We return to our regularly scheduled fears, worries, and unresolved questions.

In that way, we’re not so different from the disciples on the first Easter evening.

John 20 tells us the door was locked.
The disciples were afraid.
They had heard the tomb was empty — some had even seen it — but Jesus hadn't appeared to them yet.

They were afraid, disoriented, unsure what would come next.

And into that locked room... Jesus came.

And what does He say?

Not, "Why didn’t you believe?"
Not, "You should’ve had more faith."
Not, "Get your act together."

He says:
"Peace be with you."

Peace Is Not the Result of Our Faith — It’s the Result of His Presence

The peace Jesus brought wasn’t something the disciples earned.
They didn’t believe hard enough to make Him appear.
They weren’t expecting Him. They were afraid. They had locked the door.

And still, Jesus came — right into the middle of their fear — and spoke peace before they even had the courage to fully believe.

The peace of Jesus is not the result of their faith. It’s the result of His presence.

That’s good news for us.

Because sometimes faith is just a whisper.
Sometimes it’s just showing up.
Sometimes it’s simply not giving up.

And Jesus still comes.

He stands among us, even now, and says:
"Peace be with you."

The Kind of Peace Jesus Gives — Shalom

When Jesus said, "Peace be with you," the New Testament records the Greek word eirēnē — peace, harmony, restoration.

But most likely, Jesus spoke the Hebrew word shalom — a word even deeper and wider.

Shalom is not just the restoration of what was broken.
It is the overflowing fullness of life made whole again.

Peace with God — the weight of guilt lifted, the ache of separation healed.

Peace with others — forgiveness where there was hurt, tenderness where there was distance.

Peace with the world itself — a trust that creation, though wounded, will one day be made new.

Peace within your own heart — the scattered pieces gathered and held together by grace.

When Jesus speaks shalom, He’s not just offering comfort.
He’s announcing a new reality.

You are not condemned.
You are not forgotten.
You are not alone.

And He had already promised it:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
(John 14:27, ESV)

Even before the cross, Jesus had prepared them. And now, risen from the dead, He keeps His promise.

You Don’t Have to Feel Peace to Receive It

Maybe you’re not feeling very peaceful today.

Maybe Easter is over, real life has set back in, and you’re carrying some heavy burdens.

Loved ones are struggling.
Work feels uncertain.
You're doing everything you can — and it still feels like it might not be enough.

And maybe you hear that voice whispering,
"If you had more faith, you wouldn’t worry."

But faith isn’t the absence of worry.

Faith faces the worry, acknowledges it, and chooses not to let worry drive the bus.

You're human.
Sometimes worry will come along for the ride.
But don't let it give you directions.

Faith says:
"I don’t see how this will work out. But I trust the One who does."

Even Jesus prayed in the garden:

“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
(Luke 22:42, ESV)

That's real faith — facing fear honestly, and entrusting yourself into the Father's hands.

And in that space, Jesus still says:
"Peace be with you."
Shalom.

When You Don’t Even Know What to Pray

Sometimes you’ll sit in the quiet, and you won’t even know what to pray.

You’ve prayed it all before. You’ve run out of words.

And then you remember:
Jesus already knows.

He steps into the silence — just as He stepped into that locked room — and He doesn’t wait for you to say the right thing.

He simply says:
"Peace be with you."

You don’t have to chase peace.
You receive it.

Because His presence gives us faith and peace — not the other way around.

How to Lean Into the Peace Jesus Offers

Peace isn’t something you hunt down.
It’s something you find as you remind yourself of Christ’s presence.

Here are five simple practices to help:

Recite a Scripture each morning or evening —

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8, ESV)

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7, ESV)

Practice releasing your worries in prayer —
Picture placing each one into God's hands and saying, “I trust you with this.”

Speak Jesus’ words aloud —
Especially when you’re anxious: “Peace be with you.”

Write down three things you can’t control —
Then write underneath: “God is in this with me.”

Sit in silence with Jesus for three minutes a day —
No requests. Just presence.

Pick one. Start small. Let the peace of Christ make His home in you — slowly, steadily.

Not because you’ve earned it.
Because He is with you in the middle of all the muck.

Peace for You, Today

So what if you believed that Jesus was standing right here with you?

What if you believed that, right now — in the middle of your exhaustion, your concern, your not-knowing —
He was speaking to you?

"Peace be with you."

Not because everything is fixed.
Not because you have it all figured out.
But because Jesus is here.

Take a breath.
Take the next faithful step.

And let His words hold you:

Peace be with you.
Shalom to you, my friend.