For well over 1,000 years, Christians have been taking time during the Advent season to acknowledge different spiritual principles while asking God to make those ideas more prevalent in their own lives. Love, joy, and hope are part of the Advent season, but so is peace. In a world that seems to be sliding further and further into turmoil, spend some time this Advent asking for the peace of God to become more prevalent in your own life. Doing so will not only change you, but it can also change the world around you.
The Christmas season has long been considered a time of “peace on earth, and good will toward men.” However, in the times that we’re living in today, peace on earth seems like a fantasy. If we’re being honest, many of us have probably given up on the idea of real peace. Currently, there are more than 100 wars going on around the world, in addition to all of the civil disturbances, mass shootings, other acts of violence, and the other negative news stories that flood our social media feeds, news cycles, and other outlets all day.
The last couple years have been some of the most trying that any of us have ever experienced. What started as a virus on the other side of the world quickly turned into a wrecking ball that has destroyed families, careers, personal health, finances, and any other number of things. When you combine that negativity with all of the violence that we’ve seen on the news both at home and abroad, it’s no wonder that peace seems to be the missing peace in our lives.
However, it’s not too late. It’s not too late for you to find the peace of God, to experience it, and to let it change you. This Advent, allow yourself to pursue the peace that comes from God and the things that it can do to completely change you and the world that you live in.
The Source of Our Peace
Ephesians 2:14-15 (TPT)
Our reconciling “Peace” is Jesus! He has made Jew and non-Jew one in Christ. By dying as our sacrifice, he has broken down every wall of prejudice that separated us and has now made us equal through our union with Christ. Ethnic hatred has been dissolved by the crucifixion of his precious body on the cross. The legal code that stood condemning every one of us has now been repealed by his command. His triune essence has made peace between us by starting over-forming one new race of humanity, Jews and non-Jews fused together in himself!
Knowing where your source is found is one of the most important things in any situation. When your vehicle’s low-fuel light comes on, you know that you need to find a source sooner than later. When the little battery icon in the corner of your cellphone screen turns red, you know that you need to find a power source. How’s your peace meter? If there was something in your life that could gauge the amount of peace that you’re experiencing, what would it look like right now? If everything is going perfectly in your life, your peace meter may be reading closer to “full” than it is to “empty.” Your peace meter may not have a red battery, but a green one.
Unfortunately for many of us, our peace meters aren’t quite that healthy. Instead, anxiety is at the forefront, we’re stressed about everything, and the closest we get to finding peace is having a temporary reprieve between times of fear. That’s not the plan that God has for His people.
If you find yourself lacking the kind of peace that you want to experience this Advent season, spend some time fully connected to the Source. Paul was very clear when he said that the Source of our peace is Jesus Christ. We will never find peace in the things of this world. Our peace can never be found in a politician, a social program, or even a religious leader. Instead, the only way that we are going to find the peace of God is by completely connecting ourselves to the Son who was born on the first Christmas night in Bethlehem.
God’s Peace Can Calm Your Mind
Romans 8:5-6 (TPT)
Those who are motivated by the flesh only pursue what benefits themselves. But those who live by the impulses of the Holy Spirit are motivated to pursue spiritual realities. For the sense and reason of the flesh is death, but the mind-set controlled by the Spirit finds life and peace.
If you’re facing a time of personal struggle, you know the chaos that it can cause within your mind. Maybe you’ve reached the point where when you lay down to sleep at night, you simply can’t get your mind to “shut off” long enough for you to get some sleep. Perhaps when you sit down to eat, your mind is so consumed with the stress and worry that you’re facing, you can’t even muster up enough of an appetite to eat.
On the surface, it’s easy to assume that the only way for these feelings to change is for your circumstances to change. If the thing that is stressing you out changes, your stress levels would go down and life could get back to something resembling normalcy. If the rumblings about your company shutting down or outsourcing jobs were silenced, you wouldn’t be worried about your personal finances. If your loved one’s health would just turn around, you wouldn’t be worried about receiving a phone call telling you that they’ve taken a turn for the worst. If your marriage would simply get back to how it was when you were first wed, you wouldn’t be worried about what’s going to happen.
What if there was a way to calm your mind without your circumstances changing? What if there was a way for you to experience peace of mind even if your situation remained completely the same? There is. When you submit your life to the guidance of hte Holy Spirit, your sense and reason of hte flesh dies. Instead, your mind is now controlled by the Spirit, and you find peace. You find peace regardless of what’s happening, what you’re facing, and even what you’re thinking.
The True Power of God’s Peace
Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
The prophet Isaiah wrote more about Christ than any other prophet in the Old Testament. You can find multiple verses in the book that carries his name that discusses the birth of Christ and the circumstances that would surround it. He also discussed the crucifixion and the resurrection multiple times.
This is the Advent season, so why are we discussing the crucifixion? Because the Bible teaches us that the most powerful peace that we can ever experience is true peace with God. Furthermore, the only way that we were ever going to experience real peace with God was through the sacrifice of His Son. Christ would have never been able to die on the cross if He hadn’t been born to Mary on the first Christmas. Without His birth, He would have never been able to carry the chastisement that brought us peace.
The greatest power of our peace isn’t found in the absence of temporary troubles. Instead, our real peace is found in the fact that we know that we have a real relationship with God thorough Christ.
When the angels stood in front of the shepherds and said, “Peace on earth, good will to men” (Luke 2:14), they weren’t saying that there wouldn’t be troubles. In fact, the New Testament is full of stories of God’s people facing immense persecution. Instead, the peace that was being offered on that first Christmas night was found in the fact that God had taken the steps necessary to forge a relationship with humanity.
This Advent, ask God to bring that kind of peace to life inside you. When you embrace the fact that you can experience complete peace with God, you will see a change in the way that you feel in the middle of your own situations, and the way that you relate to others around you. Find peace this Advent.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I know that a real relationship with You through the sacrifice of Your Son is the only way that I can find true peace in the middle of a world full of trouble. Help me to pursue and to find that kind of peace for myself, so I can then spread it to others around me. In Christ’s name, Amen.