Jesus had been telling the disciples that He was going away from them. He had told them that He would be lifted up. He had told them that He would be killed. Here again, He told them that He was going to the Father, that He would be separated from them for a while. In verse 29, He said: “I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe.” This is key to Jesus assertion that He is giving them peace. When everything looks like it is going badly, when Jesus is arrested and then crucified, He wants the disciples to remember that He told them this would happen. Then they might realize that the Father and Jesus are still in control, that this was all part of their plan. And because they may have trouble remembering this, He will give them the Holy Spirit to help them remember.
The peace that Jesus gives us is faith in Him and in who He is. He told the disciples what would happen so that when it happened, they would know it was all part of God’s plan. He tells us that we will have troubles in life, but He will be with us. That way when we have trouble, we know He is still in control, and we can lean on Him. Our peace comes from knowing that the Lord loves us, and that He has absolute authority and power. That means our future is guaranteed, and we don’t have to stress out about it.
What are you worried about? Pray about it, submit to God’s plan for you in this, and claim the peace that Jesus promises.