By Donna Winchell
I love the peace I feel at Christmas sitting by a cozy fire, listening to soft Christmas carols playing in the background and watching the twinkling lights on the tree. I have peace; I am filled with contentment and all my worries seem to disappear. As I contemplate these feelings, I realize that this inner peace is because God has paved the way for me to have peace within.
Peace is perhaps the most elusive, miraculous phenomenon in the human experience. The relationship between happiness and peace seems simple enough; if we don't have peace, we don't have happiness. But what is perfect peace and how do we get it? It is much more than a cozy fire or twinkling lights on a Christmas tree, we are talking about the peace of God. the peace of heart which is the gift of God.
Jesus' birth brought peace to the world and my inner peace comes from knowing that God is sovereign over absolutely everything. In John 14:27, Jesus comforts me with these words: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Jesus is our source of peace and if peace is absent it is because we have not let it rule in our hearts. We must apply the truth of His peace to our lives in a way that governs our hearts, no matter what our circumstances may be. “Seek peace, and pursue it,” we're told in Psalm 34:14.
Our relationship with Jesus, the "Prince of Peace", brings us the contentment we so desire and allows us to keep things in proper perspective. Being the Son of God, He was at complete peace and unity with God and was the perfect example of peace throughout His life. Jesus always treated people with respect, wisdom and love. He brought peace to those around him, and He ultimately wants to bring peace between all of us and God.
This gift from God is meant to be shared. Peace with others begins when we understand that God has called us to be peacemakers in our world. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). It requires us to trust God even more with the people in our lives, and with this trust we can help bring peace to our world one heart at a time. We can do this because Christ has come and if we follow Him, we too are full of the Holy Spirit. Don’t miss the blessing God promises in your life as you respond to His call to be a peacemaker. If we bring ourselves and others closer to Jesus Christ, we can find peace even when life gets tough.
If inner peace is eluding you these days and anxiety is spilling over in your life, during this Advent season, choose to trust God. Choose to put your hand in His and draw from His patience and wisdom as you take each step. The transformative spirit of the Christmas season is rooted in the redeeming power of Jesus Christ to change our lives for the better.
Jesus became God’s gift of perfect peace to us on that first Christmas day – embodied in the Christ child. No wonder a choir of angels announced His birth, by singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” This year worship fully because peace at Christmas and every other day of our lives begins and ends with Jesus.
May this season be one of peace and joy for all of us, “for unto [us] was born that day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11
Let us pray:
O Lord, draw us to You this Advent season. We pray for peace in the world, peace in our homes, peace in ourselves. Take our worries, our doubts and our fears and fill us with the perfect peace that only You can give.
Peace Has Come (Lyric Video). I hope you enjoy:
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