PEACE BECAUSE OF THE “BUTS”
Mechelle Holbrook for Yolanda Lindsay
Today’s Scripture: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Theme: Jesus’ life and character show us who God is—Jehovah Shalom (The God of peace).
THERE WILL BE TROUBLE… BUT
In the Scriptures before and after this verse, as Jesus’ time drew near, He was teaching His disciples. He talked about the Holy Spirit, about our sorrow turning to joy, and He prayed over them—and also for all future believers. And then we get to this verse, a reminder that in this world there will be troubles and hard times. And of course… there is a “but.” Now I’m not going to get too technical here—especially since Yolanda has a doctorate in education—but I do know that “but” is important. It changes everything. As Jesus says in John 16:33 (our verse of the day): “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Yes, there will be trouble. But… He has already overcome.
BUT GOD… EVEN NOW
This devotion was supposed to be written by Yolanda Lindsay. “But,” as you may have heard during the last Sunday service before Easter, she’s a little tied up at the moment. How fitting that she picked this verse and topic to write a devotion.
Yolanda has been battling a disease that damaged her lungs to the point that she needed a transplant to survive. I don’t have time to tell all the ways God has moved to get her to this moment—but there have been many. Over 40 days ago, she went into the hospital with little chance of survival.
But God. He kept miraculously showing up. After a lot of praying, waiting, and fast-forwarding through so many moments, as I write this (Sunday night, March 29), she has just received new lungs. She is currently in a medically induced coma so her body can rest. Tomorrow is another surgery to close her up, followed by trying to slowly wake her. As you can imagine, she is in a very critical condition. We are continuing to trust God for every step.
Yolanda said that she was afraid; BUT she had peace.
She and her family are walking through tribulations—big ones. “But we are seeing God move right in the middle of it all.”
THE PEACE THAT OVERCOMES
Jesus didn’t say we might have tribulation. He said that we will. And we all know that’s true. This world is beautiful—but it is also full of hard things. But Jesus also said to take heart. Why? Because He has overcome the world. Not “will overcome” it. Not “someday.” He has overcome.
As we celebrate Easter, we are reminded why that matters. Our God is not dead—He is alive. And because He lives, we can have peace right in the middle of chaos.
He is Jehovah Shalom—the God of peace.
If God can give Yolanda peace, He can give you peace. I think she would tell us with a knowing smile on her lips and laughing in her eyes, “Rest in Him. Let Him give you peace.”
Make It Personal: First, pray for Yolanda. This very serious situation needs continued prayer. She had months and years of recovery ahead of her.
Then ask yourself:
- What tribulation am I facing right now?
- Where do I need to remember that “but?”
- How does knowing Jesus has “overcome the world” bring me peace right now?
Pray: Our precious Jesus, we are so grateful for Easter. Our God is not dead (as many others are), but alive. Thank You for being Jehovah Shalom—the God of peace. Help us to give You our tribulations and trust You to fill us with Your peace. Remind us that You have overcome the world. We lift up Yolanda and any others we may know who are in a critical condition to You. Continue to be with them in every moment. Guide the doctors, give peace to their families, and bring healing to them. Thank You for living, dying, and rising again for us. Amen.
Read: John 14:27, 1 John 4:4, John 10:10
Weekly Memory Verse: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures...” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, ESV