By Kristin Schultz
If you’ve ever ordered a hot coffee or tea from a coffee shop or poured a hot beverage into a paper cup, you know that it doesn’t take long for the cup itself to become hot—sometimes too hot to handle. Maybe the cup is so hot you have to hold it with the other hand for a bit or set it down altogether.
Circumstances and stress can make life feel too hot to handle. Our lives can become uncomfortable and sometimes painful. It’s too much. You just want to set it down.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7 ESV).
Jesus knows your pain because he lived your pain. His friend died. He was betrayed by a member of his inner circle. He was hungry. He was mocked. He was beaten.
Jesus knows your pain. He knows every stressor that makes your heart pound, every hurt you feel, every tear your cry. He longs to take away your pain and replace it with peace. On the cross, Jesus defeated sin and even death itself for you! Because Jesus rose, you, too, will rise.
Pain and the troubles of this world have no power over you. Through Jesus, you are victorious!
In Philippians 4:7, the apostle Paul called God’s peace a peace that “surpasses all understanding.” Consider the magnitude of that statement. Think about true rest like you’ve never known it before. That’s Jesus, our Rest and our Refuge.
On this Earth we will have struggles but Jesus is our peace, now and for all eternity.
Editor’s note: This devotion is slightly adapted from CTA’s Fill Your Cup Participant Retreat Workbook. To see all CTA’s retreat resources, devotionals, and journals, visit ctainc.com.
