On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
– John 20:19
Isn’t that interesting? Just meditating on this, as I’m reading through John 20, Jesus resurrection from the dead, His appearance to His disciples and on, and at this moment, as Jesus encounters His disciples in this way, they’re all afraid.
John 20:19 Reminds Us Jesus has Overcome the World
In this room, Jesus comes and stands among them, and His first word, the first word out of His mouth is peace. “Peace be with you.” I’m just thinking about how Jesus brings peace to you and me in a world where there is so much reason for lack of peace. And Jesus had promised this. He said in John 16, “You’ll have trouble in this world, but take heart, I have overcome this world.”
It’s going to make the connection now with John 20, He has literally overcome death at this point. So He comes to His disciples and He says, “Peace be with you.” And I just know there are people listening to this right now who are walking through a variety of things, and it might just be the day-to-day of life that brings a lack of peace. Or it might be some valleys that you’re walking through, storms that are raging around you, or it might be some storms that are raging around you in your life, in your family, in your work, in your church, in the world.
John 20:19 Reminds Us Jesus Can Overcome All Our Troubles
Just looking at the headlines, I just want to encourage you, Jesus’, first words to His disciples on this occasion, having risen from the dead, He looks at them and He says, “Peace.” Just hear him saying that to you today. Oh God, I pray for your peace to flood the hearts and minds of people who are listening to this right now and my own.
And that’s trial, trouble, turmoil, busyness, confusion, questions, longing for discernment and decision making, God admits whatever circumstances we’re walking through right now, we praise you for speaking peace over us. Jesus, you are the prince of peace. You promise to give us peace that passes all understanding, to guard our hearts and minds in you so that we don’t have to be anxious or worried or fearful about anything. God, I just pray for the application of that peace according to your word, your spirit in our lives, in our minds and our hearts right now. And God, we pray for the spread of this peace around the world. God, we pray for the spread of your peace among all the people groups of the world.
Praying for the Nanga Dama Dogon People
God, we pray specifically for the Nanga Dama Dogon of Mali, this small people group where there are no followers of Jesus, of the prince of peace. God, we pray that your peace would spread to the Nanga Dama Dogon of Mali. Please God, bring it about they might know and experience your peace with them.
Oh God, we pray this for all the peoples of the world. You would use our lives, our praying right now, our giving, our going to people around us today to spread your peace, even as we say, God, we need your peace and welcome your peace in our lives today. Jesus, we praise you as the prince of peace who overcomes the world. So, help us today not to be afraid, anxious, or worried about anything, but may your peace guard our hearts and minds in you. We pray all this according to your Word, in Jesus name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
