Advent Devotional: Make Room for JesusSample

Day 8: Make Room for Peace

Peace is not something that we easily stumble upon. Most days it's not a natural rhythm of our everyday. In fact, our world actually exemplifies the opposite. We are rattled with chaos and turmoil the moment we turn on the news or look at our phones. With so much instability around us, our peace can become threatened on a daily basis. We’re bombarded with fear, we’re assailed with busyness and we’re overwhelmed with uncertainties. But when we read God’s Word, we see that peace is not just an imaginary concept we hope to have at some point in our life. It’s an attainable gift that was given to us when Jesus came to the earth on that monumental night in Bethlehem.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." - John 14:27

The word “peace” occurs 252 times in the New Testament. It’s translated as “one resting in quietness.” Doesn’t that sound amazing? We read in Isaiah 9:6 that Jesus is known as the “Prince of Peace.” God sent Jesus to be the “Leader of Peace.” He would need Jesus to blaze the trail and be a visual representation of peace to a troubled world. When we realize that peace is a gift that God is ready and willing to give us and not something that has to be earned, it can give us hope for all that is to come. We can rest in quietness knowing that God is with us and will never leave us.

Reflect:

• How did God exemplify peace when He sent Jesus to be born?
• What is an area of your life that makes “resting in quietness” seem impossible to you? Why?
• How does it change the way you operate daily if you understand that peace is a gift from God and not something you must earn?

Pray:

As you pray, thank God for sending His son to be the “Leader of Peace.” Acknowledge your need for peace in your life and offer to Him the areas of your life that you are struggling to have peace.