Episode Description
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. (2 Thess. 3:16)
Expanded Passage: 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18
Suffering is a universal human experience. To be human means to suffer. There are various approaches to dealing with suffering. Some people will medicate their suffering. Others will grit their way through suffering. Still others will just ignore the suffering hoping it will all go away. Very few people imagine they can experience peace in the midst of suffering, but this is Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians.
Out of context, the final greeting and blessing from Paul in 2 Thessalonians might seem ordinary and not particularly special, but Paul realizes the storm of persecution the believers in Thessalonica are facing each and every day. A natural part of human life is to attempt to assign meaning to our suffering. And for many in modern secular culture, the best approach to suffering is to eliminate it at all costs. For the Thessalonians, though, to live as a faithful witness for Christ meant to live under the constant threat of ridicule and even physical harm. Yet, Paul’s encouragement at the end of his letter is that they would experience peace from the “Lord of peace.”
How are you facing the storms of life today? What is God saying to you through the storms? And what would it look like for you to experience the peace of God “at all times and in every way” even in the most difficult seasons of life?
Trust in the Lord of peace through every season.
Branden Petersen is the cofounder/pastor of Resurrection Life NYC in Manhattan with his wife, Jenn. He is also the founder and director of the urban church planting network, Global Cities Network.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.