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presence to those three boys was perfectly tangible. I believe that the experience of
these three young men could be yours and mine as well, that even in the midst of
strife and turmoil, the peace of God can still be a reality.

Prayer Thought: I don’t know your personal situation today, but I do know this: that
for those of you who are going through some personal crisis or storm, the voice on
the inside can be more powerful than the circumstances on the outside if you are
listening to the right voice. When you hear the voice of Jesus saying, “I will never
voice
leave you nor forsake you” that is a powerful voice and may just be the voice that
you need to listen to. won’t you pray today with this thought in mind.

Sunday
Reading: John 20 v 19 – 31
My last thought today on the subject of peace is founded in the fact that the presence
of the person of peace (Jesus) makes all the difference.
After the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples were in a quandary; the person whom
they had hoped would become a Messiah that would deliver them from the physical
enemy of the Romans, had now died and left them all devastated and hopeless. Upon
them meeting in the upper room in their devastated state, the disciples were
disillusioned and totally confused. There was no peace amongst them; in fact their
hearts were troubled to the point of breaking. According to the passage, however,
things changed rather quickly. We read how Jesus appeared to His disciples and the
first thing that He said to them was, “Peace be with you”. Isn’t it amazing that the
presence of Jesus at the time of such sadness can make such a difference. Peace at
that point was restored to the hearts of the disciples and life was worth living again.
The principle that this story illustrates is one that is seen in so many of the
incidents in the stories outlined in the gospels. It was the presence of Jesus that
made such a difference at the tomb of Lazarus. It was the presence of Jesus that
made all the difference on the road to Emmaus. It was the presence of Jesus that
made all the difference to Peter when he met Jesus at the Sea of Galilee. The fact is,
folks, that no matter what the circumstance, whether happy or sad, the presence of
Jesus makes all the difference. Today is Sunday, it is our Sabbath. I don’t know a
better way to celebrate this day than celebrating the presence of Jesus. I know that
Jesus is with you wherever you are and there is nowhere that Jesus is not. But when
we come together corporately to worship Him, we do it with a special consciousness
of His presence with us. Won’t you prepare your heart for worship today and may