Day 8 Advent Devotional | December 11th
John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
We find ourselves living in an irritable and quarrelsome world. Conflict sells ads in the news shows. The anonymity of social media deludes us with consequence-free opinions that celebrate not the integrity of our ideas, but the outlandishness of our outrage. Of course, none of this is true life. There is no such thing as consequence-free opinions and outrage. Words matter, be they the words we speak or the words we intake.
Jesus offers His word of peace into the midst of our trembling. It is not the false peace of mere comfort, but it is the peace that passeth understanding. It is His peace. When we trust Him with our doubt and our anxiety of living in this world, He gives us back of His peace through His Spirit. His peace calms the troubled heart. His peace turns fear into trust.
And Jesus gives us His peace in His way. His way of giving is not the way the world gives. The world only gives with the expectation of getting something in return. The world gives with strings attached. But Jesus’ way of giving is the way of grace. We could never repay Him, but because of the way He gives, His gift never comes with strings attached. So to all the anxious hearts longing to find rest this Christmas, take of the peace of Jesus. To all the fearful souls who walk with trepidation from one day to the next, rest easy in His peace. The angels sang it best. “Peace on earth,” they shouted from the heavens, “good will among men with whom He is well pleased.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, one of the carols we sing this Christmas asks you to fit us for heaven with your nearness. Help us to know your peace in the craziness that is often our world. Fix our eyes on you that we might not be distracted or dismayed by the anxiety of this world. We only want to see you and in the seeing, be at rest. Amen.