Peace I Give To You

It's hard to write these days.
There's been something missing.
The title says a lot about the problem - Peace I Give To You.

I wrote those words almost three years ago.  Along with much of what follows.
The thing is - peace is still a problem.  
Or rather - the lack of it.

Sometimes I wonder - will my life finally come to an end and I can go home when I learn how to have and keep God's peace?
Or maybe I'm here to write about my own struggles - hopefully with the end result of helping others not give up?
But either way - it's a goal that I find I cannot give up on.
It has to be worth it.
Even if it only comes in the next life.

So - here's the original article, from June 24, 2012.  If I decide to add anything, it will be in rust colored italics.

t's been a while - almost a month since I've written anything.
There's been something missing.
This title says a lot of the problem - Peace I Give To You.

Combine that with some words from a song we sang during worship this morning -
You give and take away
and it's pretty much complete.
Before going on, let's put the words in context.
The first phrase - Peace I give to you - is actually incomplete.  It's likely what we tend to remember - but there's more to it.
It's in red - so you probably realize it's from Jesus. The entire quote is from John 14:25-31 -

Jn 14:25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Jn 14:28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

So we see - it's not "peace" the way we may think of it.  It's Jesus' peace that He is giving to us.  And He doesn't give as the world gives.

So - it's not peace as in nothing will ever go wrong -it's not peace that everything is going to be fine.

It's peace in knowing that God's in control -it's the peace we can have in knowing that God loves us -it's the peace in knowing that in the end - everything will be OK.

The other words - you give and take away -
They're from the song Blessed be Your Name.

The bridge to that song goes -
You give and take away, you give and take away heart will choose to say, Lord, Blessed be Your Name.

When I was looking up the exact wording of the bridge, I came across something I hadn't seen before. There's also a book with the same name - written by the authors of the song - Matt and Beth Redman. The book overview on BarnesandNoble.com sum up the point I'm looking for quite nicely -

Worship is always a choice. During peaceful and pain-free times, the choice to respond to God in thanksgiving and praise may be relatively easy. But at other painful or confusing times in our lives, the choice to worship is a costly act of devotion. In the life of every worshiper there will come times when worship meets with suffering. In Blessed Be Your Name, Matt and Beth Redman use the words of their inspiring song to explore how to stand in the place of praise even in the face of hardship and pain. Focusing on the Psalms, many of which were written out of struggle, the Redmans share from their own experience and show how painful circumstances and our choices can either propel us toward God or away from Him, build up our faith or break it. Learn how to ride out the storms of life saying “Blessed be Your name, Lord” and mean it.

The note from the book says the Redmans focused on the Psalms when writing it.