We made it to week four! As in the previous three weeks, I find myself a bit trepidatious as I am forced to look into another concept we must embrace even when, in reality, many of us may feel the complete opposite.
But God has been faithful to show us that we can, indeed, find true hope, love, joy and PEACE, if we search the scriptures and understand how that looks to those of us grieving losses this Advent season.
Full disclosure – this is my FOURTH time sitting down to write this blog. That’s highly unusual because God has almost always been faithful to give me the words to write as I need them. But not today. More on that in just a bit.
Let’s talk first about the things that steal our peace. I’ll give you a personal example from today (Saturday). I’m a huge Iowa State Cyclone fan and today they played the Oklahoma Sooners for the Big 12 conference championship and a trip to the Cotton Bowl for a New Year’s Day game. For all the football fans out there, you know this is a big deal.
Despite some heroic efforts from a twice-17-point deficit, my Cyclones lost the game 27-21. I was disappointed, disheartened, discouraged, despondent, depressed…What other “D” word can I use? Oh, how about this? DOPED up on chocolate!
After the game, as I was chatting with a fellow fan, I told her I was going to go walk Daisy a couple of miles to let off a little steam. Because the LAST thing I wanted to do was sit down and write about PEACE!
So in the middle of this two-mile walk in sub-freezing weather, God showed up to remind me that when I’m feeling this way, it’s EXACTLY when I need to look for HIS peace. And He gave me some words to share.
Clearly a lost football game doesn’t rise to the top of the list of ways our peace can be stolen. I know most of you could surpass that with any number of challenges in your lives. I, too, have greater losses that steal my peace. Such as:
- Facing the fourth Christmas without my husband
- Commemorating the 28th and 13th anniversaries of my parents’ deaths during the Christmas holiday
- Fighting to stay focused on ministry goals when I so often feel ill-equipped and overwhelmed
- Struggling with the ever-present loneliness in my life
We all have our own bullet points. Yes, there are countless ways our peace can be stolen. But ironically, there’s really only ONE way to get it back. And, just like the other three “candle characteristics,” it doesn’t happen through our own efforts.
I want to interject a little Hebrew language lesson here to help us understand more completely what this biblical peace looks like.
Not surprisingly, it has a slightly different and deeper meaning than the typical Webster dictionary definitions. You may be familiar with the Hebrew word for peace which is shalom. According to Strong’s concordance, it means completeness, soundness, and welfare. It comes from the root word shalam which means to make amends or to make whole or complete.
There’s a little more meat to this definition and I would argue, a deeper, more satisfying outcome. It’s a peace that comes to us not because of our outward circumstances or any efforts on our parts, but from the condition of our heart AND the relationship we have with God.
It causes us to look to the very reason Jesus left the Glory of heaven and came to this earth as a tiny baby. What better way to make amends or make us whole and complete, than to die on the cross for our sins? That’s what we celebrate through this Advent season. Jesus has paid the price SO THAT we can rest in that finished work on the cross and enjoy true peace.
Not surprising that PEACE is another fruit of the Spirit. So, once again, know that if you are a believer and have that Holy Spirit living within, you do have direct access to GOD’S PEACE. Ask Him to make it real in your life, through whatever you’re struggling with.
One of the names given to the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6, long before Jesus’ birth, was Prince of Peace. He is our source, and he provided the way for us to have peace despite the circumstances surrounding us.
So once again, I’d like to share a list of scriptures that can remind you of this incredible gift available to us all.
Thank you for joining me on this Advent journey. I pray that God would give you HIS HOPE, LOVE, JOY and PEACE during this holy time and beyond.
I close with one of my favorite scriptures about peace. I’m grateful that God has allowed me to experience this personally. May you, too, know this incredible level of peace. Merry Christmas to you and your families!
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
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