A Simple Way to Get Peace in Your Life

What is Ascension Day and what is it all about?

You’re at your wit’s end. You’re so over school and end-of-year activities. Your kids are tired and ready to rest and be done with school. You’ve probably had fights and arguments from all the stress! It’s a hard time of year!

Once school is over, you’ll be able to rest a bit and catch your breath. Once school is over, this stage will be a little bit easier.

Or so you believe. Until school is over and you can’t wait for summer to be over. And repeat, repeat. This is life with kids.

How do we get a moment of peace?

We’re often at our wit’s end, ready to throw in the towel. Holding on to the next moment when you’ll finally have some peace.

If that peace is so easy to get at the next turn, why do we never feel that peace? Why can’t we have that peace now? Why do we have to wait?

Let’s face it. Something needs to change.

There’s something inside us and how we view today’s challenges that needs a shift. But what is it and how do we get there? Like, right now.

What is Ascension Day?

Before we figure out this peace I’m talking about, I want to take you all the way back to Ascension Day in the Bible. (Hint: this the key to getting peace.)

What is Ascension Day? Ascension Day is the day Jesus ascended to heaven. He had already defeated death and been resurrected, and had walked the earth in his resurrected body for 40 days. On Ascension Day, Day 40, he rose on the clouds and returned to heaven where he was seated at the right hand of God.

When is Ascension Day?

The Christian church calendar commemorates Ascension Day every year, 40 days after Easter. It falls on a Thursday, but since it’s a major feast day, it is often celebrated on the Sunday just after the actual Ascension Day, so that more people can celebrate.

What is the meaning of Ascension Day for you?

The real meaning of Jesus’ Ascension for you and me is that he ascended into heaven so that the Holy Spirit could descend and fill us with his peace.

Let’s look at some relevant scriptures about Jesus’ ascension into heaven and promise of the Holy Spirit who will give us peace.

(Remember you need a break; you need peace; the Holy Spirit gives peace; so, you need for Jesus to ascend so the Holy Spirit can descend and give you lasting peace.)

Passages about Jesus’ Ascension | Scenes from the Ascension

1. John 20:17 tells us Jesus must go.

¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

John 20:17

2. Acts 1:8-11 tells of Jesus’ last words about the power from the Holy Spirit to come and then describes Jesus’ ascension.

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Acts 1:8-11

3. Luke 24:50-52 also describes Jesus’ ascension into heaven.

⁵⁰ When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. ⁵¹ While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. ⁵² Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

Luke 24:50-52

The importance of Jesus’ ascension

1. John 7:38-39 tells how the Spirit had not been given yet, because Jesus had not ascended to heaven.

³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”^[c] 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

John 7:38-39

2. Acts 2:33 focuses on the importance of Jesus’ ascension as necessary to receiving the Holy Spirit and then pouring it out on the church.

³³ Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 

Acts 2:33

You Need Peace | The Holy Spirit gives Peace

Remember, we’re looking for lasting peace. We’re at our wit’s end on most days and we need a break. We need peace. We need the Holy Spirit. To get the Holy Spirit, we needed for Jesus to ascend. So, the ascension is that step that brings about the peace we need.

John 14:26-27 tells of the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us, reminds us, and gives us true peace.

²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷ 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: 26-27

Again, Jesus must ascend so that the Holy Spirit can descend. We celebrate Ascension because of its importance to the giving of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit gives us lasting peace.

How does the Holy Spirit give us peace?

How do we access this peace in the Bible so that we can:

• Take a minute to breathe
• Calm down
• See the bigger picture in the moment
• Pray for strength and peace

An example of how I access this peace in my daily life was my prayer for this blog post.

After a long day with my kids, after 2 hours of bedtime, while still sitting in my boys’ room, I knew I needed to prepare my heart to write and to share. It can be hard for me to transition from being mom and bedtime police-keeper to being a productive individual. (It’s really hard).

So, I noticed I needed to change my heart. This was the first step in facing my current challenge that needed a shift.

I knew I needed to pray.

So I prayed, for the Holy Spirit to: open my eyes, fill my heart, remind me what I’ve learned. Even though I wasn’t at my wit’s end in that moment, I still needed a calm heart and the right perspective to write this. Simple, right?

Why does the Holy Spirit’s peace not seem to last long enough?

Now, I know I have been filled with the Holy Spirit by my baptism and faith. But the challenge for us is that the Holy Spirit’s peace may seem fleeting to us. Why?

This peace in the Bible seems fleeting because we’re not yet glorified. We are still in the process of being made into Christ’s image, being made holy. And we live in a broken world that clashes at us daily. We must strengthen ourselves daily. It’s a battle.

As we grow in recognition of our need for the peace in the day-to-day challenges in our life, we will grow in experiencing this peace.

What’s next for you?

Pray. Stop right now and pray. Pray for the Holy Spirit to teach you how to have this peace. Ask for the Holy Spirit to teach you. Pray for the Holy Spirit to remind you of Jesus’ words. Pray for the Holy Spirit to make God’s self more present and real in your everyday challenges: the moments when you feel most at your wit’s end.

It really is simple. But can often be so hard too.

Remember, Ascension Day is important in your daily battle to access God’s peace through the Holy Spirit. Jesus had to ascend so the peace you need can fill you. We need to be mindful daily of the Holy Spirit and pray for that peace as we face our daily challenges.

Do this as often as needed.

Don’t give up.

How can I pray for peace with you today? Share in the comments.

For other posts addressing fear, check out:

• Where Do You Turn When Life and Faith Collide?
• Where is God in our suffering?
• What I Do at Night When My Mind is Racing
• How I had to do something subversive when everyone else was panicking
• Strength for life’s trials