“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’” John 16:33
Is anyone else ready to see some peace on this earth? Anyone besides me want to turn on the news and find they don’t have anything to tell us except good things? Am I the only one who’s tired of all the bad news, the divisions, anger and hatred in the world? Maybe no one else made this mistake, but for many years I assumed this verse meant the earth would be at peace. There would be no more wars or killings or strife. While that would be wonderful, I no longer believe this is talking about that kind of peace. After all, it goes on to say that as long as we’re alive, we will have trouble. Not maybe. Not sometimes. We will have trouble, period. But Jesus promises us that He has overcome the world.
So why don’t I feel like an overcomer? Why do troubles still get me down? Does He mean that He will overcome when He returns? No, this is in past tense. He has overcome, not He will overcome. We need to understand what this means when it says “the world.” When John uses that term, he usually means a world system that is opposed to God. It’s not talking about consequences of our own sins, or things that happen naturally (for example, aging). Rather, in Him we have the power to overcome those temptations that are in opposition to God, the things that can pull us away from God. That’s what He has already overcome and that’s what we have the power to overcome by His Spirit. I know. There are many times I don’t feel like that, either. But it’s at those times that we need to cling tight to verses like these and trust that God is working in our lives to bring about that victory.
So if there will still be wars, and if we will still experience troubles, how can we have peace? It’s those two tiny little words, four small letters: in me. True peace, the peace that Jesus came to bring is only found in Him. If we want more peace, we just need more of Him. If we have Him, we will have peace regardless of what is going on around us, either on the world stage or in our personal lives. It doesn’t even matter how busy our schedules are. This isn’t promising us an absence of turmoil. It’s promising us peace in the midst of turmoil. Even when the storm is raging all around us, we can stand secure in Him, knowing that He’s got this. We can trust the storm completely to His care.