“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…”
Ephesians 2:13-14

Can you remember a time when you were or felt like you were far off from God, a season in which maybe you ignored Him or just didn’t really care about following His ways? I certainly can, and let me tell you that it wasn’t pretty.

Can I indulge a little bit of my story with you? Growing up, my family was one of those families that attended mass a few times a year; always on Christmas and Easter, and a few other random Sundays throughout the year. But when my parents split when I was eleven, church ceased to exist. It was a distant, not-so-fond memory.

See, my experience in church as a child had been about the rules, the to-do’s, and the forced attendance.  Please notice that I said nothing about a relationship. No, my experience was almost completely void of the relational aspect of who God is, and in being able to look back now, I believe that is what turned me off from church. So when my parents split up, I had no desire to go again because I didn’t know the love, grace, or kindness of God.

If we were to flash forward, you would see that from that point, I ignored, disregarded, and flat-out denied that God was out there, let alone that He even existed.

Over the next seven years, I did whatever I wanted, which I’m sure you can imagine led to a lot of stupid decisions; a lot of mistakes. Yet through that season, I believe that He still loved, protected, and pursued me. When I was seventeen, a senior in high school, God got my attention big time as He showed Himself to me in a way I never could have imagined possible, and the last ten years of walking with Him have been the greatest adventure. It hasn’t necessarily been easy, but I can say that it has been worth it. He has helped get me out of my comfort zone and take big risks, and as a result I have watched Him provide time and time again. And He has given me gifts that I never had when I was doing my own thing: joy, hope, and incredible peace.

I was once (very) far off, but Jesus brought me near by meeting me in my mess — which is absolutely something He continues to do in my life — and by making me His.

He did this in living His life here on earth and sacrificing Himself on our behalf, so that we could live in connection with the Father. In His sacrifice, the covenant of old was abolished and a new one was established; one that declared grace, grace, grace. When Jesus breathed His last upon the cross, the veil in the temple was torn in two, right down the middle, signifying that all believers could now have a direct line to God. We don’t need a mediator or an interpreter. Jesus is our intercessor, and we can dwell in the presence of God because of that. We are brought near by Jesus, and that gives me all of the peace I could ever need.

In this sweet season of Advent, may we remember the gravity of what Jesus’ birth really means. Just as you and I did, He came as a baby, yet His story meant being born in what one might consider the least peaceful of places: a dirty, open manger, surrounded by all sorts of farm animals, in the middle of the night. And yet He is our peace. How beautiful is that?

When things are hard, chaotic, or out of our control, He continues to remain our peace.

I pray that you are able to soak that in today. Let Him wash over you with peace was you sit in His presence, as He is our ultimate source of peace.

 

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold (refuge) of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? … I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!  Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
– Psalm 27:1-2, 13-14

Wait for the Lord.

Isn’t that a phrase that both instills a sense of hope and peace but also makes you want to cross your arms, loudly tapping your foot repeatedly?

In a world filled with impatience and a propensity for immediate satisfaction, waiting can be really challenging. Not only does it force us to slow down, but it brings us to a place of acknowledging that we, in fact, cannot control it all, and I am sure that I am not alone in wanting to have some sense of control over the different areas of my life. It is a frustrating discipline: learning to wait.  But so often, that Is how our Father works: in the quiet, in the slow, all in His timing.

But that, no doubt, can be very hard to do.

Sisters, I am with you in admitting that, without a doubt, waiting can be very hard for me to do well.

But I have seen, time and time again, that when God asks me to wait, it is almost always because His plan is greater; that He has something right around the bend that I never could have seen coming.

When we can learn to truly let go and trust God in our seasons of waiting — our seasons of not quite yet — we will be able to more confidently move forward, because we can know that He is on our side. We will have no fear, for we will recognize that He is with us. We will be strong, because it is in our own weakness and in His power that we are made strong. We will be courageous, because He makes us so. And along with all of that, we will find peace in the waiting, for we know that every season from our Father is intentional; every season has purpose, even the ones in which we wait.

Then, what does waiting have to say about Jesus?

The world was yearning for a Savior, for Jesus, long before He actually came; before He was born to a virgin and a shepherd in Bethlehem.

Think briefly of the Israelites, in their slavery, in their wilderness, in their coming to the promised land: they were almost always waiting, and often complaining in the midst.  Much of the time, they were complaining about their circumstances, but maybe — just maybe — there was a deeper longing in their heart, a sense that they were lacking something. Maybe, deep in their bones, they knew they were missing out on a direct connection with their Abba Father, which was something that could only come through His Son. While it is true that waiting often accompanied their circumstances, there was a deeper, more profound waiting that they were living through: waiting for Jesus. How much more grateful can we be that Jesus did come over two-thousand years ago as God-incarnate; our hope and our salvation; our strength and our refuge.

Together now, we are anxiously awaiting the reminder of Jesus’ arrival. In this season of Advent, I hope that you are able to slow down, quiet your heart, and savor the wait. Because it is a sweet and worthwhile wait, my friends.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” – John 14:27

Have you ever been tricked into buying something or trying something because the ad made it sound perfect? Once you’ve spent the money you realized it actually wasn’t the quality you were expecting to receive.

Yeah, I’m pretty much the poster child for this situation.

We’ve all been there.

Something, anything, can look so satisfying when it is presented to us in a sweet, tiny, precious little package! I personally am always sold on office and craft supplies that I don’t always need. They are advertised at an amazing price. But, to each his own.

Seriously, how awful is this situation?

You’ve spent time and money on something you really wanted and worked hard for, and then it comes out dissatisfying and lack luster.

Every time I find myself in this situation I can’t help but think that this is exactly what the world does to us.

Daily we are faced with pretty packages like a 4.0 college career, a happy-go-lucky family life, or a perfect marriage. But, once we’ve “bought” these ideas from the world, we soon find out that our “products” aren’t as good as they seems. Our dissatisfaction breeds anxiety, anger, and discouragement. Our restlessness can lead to sin and ungodly actions, bringing our lives to disasters rather than the prefect little presents we thought we were getting.

After meditating on this thought, I came to one major question we must ask ourselves: How can we defend ourselves from falling into the world’s most deadly trap?

Like anything else, we have to trust in the Lord and turn to His Word!

John 14:27 tells us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world give to you.”

Let stop there for just a second because that alone should be enough to let us know that God gives us our peace, not the world nor it’s picturesque offers! Our Savior is willing to hand over His peace to us because His love runs so deep for us!

Already, we should be comforted and motivated to run towards the life Christ hands us, not what the world deceivingly offers.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

In the second half of the verse God is comforting us yet again. He is putting our anxieties to rest when He tells us not to be afraid. And even though its not stated in this verse specifically; when you’ve built that relationship and trust in the Lord and you arm yourself with His Word, you can trust that when He says not to be afraid, then you really don’t have to be!

You know that ultimately His plan is far better than anything the world could hand us.

Go out in confidence! Go out into this world knowing that what it offers is nothing but distractions from the beautiful and perfectly designed plans God has created for your life.

 

“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”

– Isaiah 7:14

When do you say peace reigns in your heart?

Once there was a young man that approached an old sage (a wise person). The young man wanted to know the real meaning of peace. The wise man showed him two beautiful paintings. One canvas was of a calm lake; it reflected the lofty mountains all around it and the blue sky with soft and cottony clouds above the lake. The man thought it was an impeccable image of peace.

Then the other painting was shown to him.

It had mountains too, but craggy and barren. Overhead was an angry sky. Rain was falling and lightning frolicking. On the side of the mountain was a waterfall and behind it was a crack in the rock where a mother bird had built her nest. In the midst of a furious weather and gushing water, the mother bird sat on her nest in perfect peace.

What a beautiful portrait of peace!

The mother bird knew there was a storm, and there was raging water. However, she also knew she was hidden in the cleft of the rock; that no matter how the wind howled and water fell, she was safe and protected.

Peace is not the absence of troubles or challenges. Peace is a calm assurance that in the midst of storm, there is shelter.

In Isaiah 7, King Ahaz was faced with a challenge. “Two smoldering stubs of firewood” had joined forces and plotted his ruin. The Bible stated that because of this information, “the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.” Then the Lord sent the prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz to encourage him, to let him know that none of his enemies’ plan will happen nor take place.

The Lord even gave him a sign, a promise, “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him ‘Immanuel.’”

Immanuel means “God with us”.

The advent of Immanuel is the coming of the Author of Peace. We need not look for peace anywhere because where Immanuel is, God is and therefore, peace is.

When the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) is present, peace is no longer elusive. It is no more merely a vague or abstract idea; rather, it is concrete, real and tangible. Peace is not the absence of difficulties; it is the presence of the One greater than our problems because “God with us” is peace with us!

So, when does peace reign in our hearts?

It is when our hearts have opened to the coming of Immanuel; allow Him to reside and rule there. He never promised that life would be easy. But He assured that His peace would guard our hearts. He said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27). As we celebrate the coming of Immanuel this season, may we also delight in the Prince of Peace’s promised peace.

Welcome to week 2 of Advent. This week our theme is peace. Our prayer for today and for the end of this week’s devotional is to experience peace is a new way or for the first time. Our hope is that peace will fill your hearts to overflow into your relationships.

Comfort, Comfort Ye My People
words by: Johannes Olearius & Geistliche Singe-Kunst

Comfort, comfort ye my people,
Speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning ‘neath their sorrows’ load;
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them,
Tell her that her sins I cover,
And her warfare now is over.

Yea, her sins our God will pardon,
Blotting out each dark misdeed;
All that well deserved His anger
He will no more see nor heed.
She hath suffer’d many a day,
Now her griefs have passed away,
God will change her pining sadness
Into ever-springing gladness.

For Elijah’s voice is crying
In the desert far and near,
Bidding all men to repentance,
Since the kingdom now is here.
Oh that warning cry obey,
Now prepare for God a way;
Let the valleys rise to meet Him,
And the hills bow down to greet Him.

Make ye straight what long was crooked,
Make the rougher places plain,
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits His holy reign;
For the glory of the Lord
Now o’er earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall fee the token
That His Word is never broken.