Devotions ... Peace at Christmas

Baby Jesus asleep on the hay in the stable.  The cattle are lowing.  Quiet and holy . . . peaceful.

Jesus said, in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  Again in John 16:22: “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.  In the world you shall have tribulation:  but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.  We have choices to make. Do we trust our physical senses? Or do we trust in the word of God?  

The source of our peace is pinpointed in Galatians 6:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

When anything bothers us, Philippians 4:6–8 encourages us to tell God about it.  And we should have trust in his answer because not only do we petition God but we are to thank him by faith.  We receive the answer to our prayers by the promises of God so we thank Him assuredly expecting the answer is on the way; worry is not accepted, his peace that passes all understanding through Christ Jesus takes its place.   

Jesus and his disciples crossed the sea of Galilee repeatedly during his three years of ministry.  Mark 4:35–41 tells the story of one such crossing with emphasis on our topic today.  After Jesus and his disciples dismissed the crowds, Jesus lay down on a pillow in the stern and began to sleep as the disciples set sail along with other ships.

But, as usual, as they crossed the lake a windstorm began and caused the waters’ wave to beat the ship and it filled with water.  The dire circumstances tempted the disciples fear drowning, so they woke Jesus up asking him if he even cared that they were about to die.  In response Jesus rebuked the wind saying, “Peace be still” Great calm replaced the wind.  Turning to his disciples, Jesus asked, Why are you so afraid?  Don’t you have any faith?  He was surprised at their lack of trust and courage:  astonished at their lack of faith.  Why weren’t they speaking to the wind?  Why were their words expressing fear?  Hadn’t they learned anything as they walked with Jesus and sailed with him back and forth across the lake?  

Are we any better?  Are Christians in the middle of the storms of life the first to cry out woe is us!  We’re about to die!!  Where’s Jesus anyway?  Or are we the ones courageously speaking peace into the situations in which we find ourselves and calmness into the hearts of those in the situation with us.  Peace is a gift of the Holy spirit of God residing within us.  Without Him, we can do nothing (John 5:19, 30), but we can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13) who works within us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)  Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world.  (1 John 4:4)  Let God’s peace reign in our mortal bodies by faith.

This year when peace is an option to speak, let us be the bold ones who speak peace and calmness into lives and situations where Christ can make a difference.

(Cathy Bayert is pastor of Greybull First Baptist Church.)