Wait

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. - John 14:27

There is so much room for wonder in this one little verse, these few sentences Jesus spoke to his friends in anticipation of his death.

• What makes Jesus’s peace different than other kinds?

• How is it that the world gives and Jesus will give differently?

• What if my heart is troubled? What if I am afraid? How will this promise speak to me?

As we enter into a week of pondering God’s faithfulness and what the fruit of faithfulness looks like in our own lives, spend a little time with these questions and with this poem. What does Jesus surface in you? End your time with some slow breath prayers - inhale “peace,” exhale “faithfulness.”

“Stay,” by Jan Richardson

I know how your mind
rushes ahead
trying to fathom
what could follow this.
What will you do,
where will you go,
how will you live?

You will want
to outrun the grief.
You will want
to keep turning toward
the horizon,
watching for what was lost
to come back,
to return to you
and never leave again.

For now
hear me when I say
all you need to do
is to still yourself
is to turn toward one another
is to stay.

Wait
and see what comes
to fill
the gaping hole
in your chest.
Wait with your hands open
to receive what could never come
except to what is empty
and hollow.

You cannot know it now,
cannot even imagine
what lies ahead,
but I tell you
the day is coming
when breath will
fill your lungs
as it never has before
and with your own ears
you will hear words
coming to you new
and startling.
You will dream dreams
and you will see the world
ablaze with blessing.

Wait for it.
Still yourself.
Stay.