Even So I Do

The last words Jesus spoke before leading His disciples out into the night are among the most quietly powerful in all of Scripture. "But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence." There is no hesitation in those words. No last-minute negotiation with what was coming. He knew the commandment. He had received it from the Father, and He simply did it.
This is the deepest root of the peace Jesus walked in, and the dimension that is most searching for those of us who want to experience it. His peace was not merely the result of theological clarity about where He was going or spiritual authority over the enemy, though both of those were true. At its deepest level, His peace was the fruit of complete obedience. He had held nothing back from the Father. There was no area of His life over which He had said, not this, and because there was nothing withheld, there was nothing to be anxious about. Obedience had cleared the ground, and peace had taken root there.
Isaiah had named Him before His birth as the Prince of Peace. The title was not merely an honorific. It describes His nature and His rule. He reigns as peace and does not simply distribute peace from a distance. He is Himself the source, the substance, and the sustained reality of it. To walk in His peace is to walk in Him, which means to walk as He walked, in full surrender to the Father, with nothing withheld and nothing feared.
Five days ago, we began with what He gave. Today we arrive at where it grows. Perfect peace is not found by seeking peace. It is found by seeking Him, obeying Him, and surrendering to Him the very things we have been holding back. Arise. Let us go hence. Walk in it.

REFLECT
Is there an area of your life where you know what the Father is asking but have not yet said, even so I do?
As you close this plan, what one act of obedience or surrender would open the door to deeper peace in your life?

Prayer: Father, I want the peace that comes from a life fully surrendered to You. I lay down what I have been holding back. As You gave me commandment, even so I will do. You are the Prince of Peace, and I choose You above every other thing. Amen.