Falling to Pieces into Peace

Advent Week 2–PEACE

By Sandra Main

Luke 2:13-14 (TPT)

Then all at once in the night sky, a vast number of glorious angels appeared, the very armies of heaven! And they all praised God, singing: 

“Glory to God in the highest realms of heaven! 
For there is peace and a good hope given to the sons of men.”

John 14:27 (TPT)

“I leave the gift of peace with you – my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace.  Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts – instead, be courageous!”   

2 Thessalonians 3:16 (TPT)

Now, may the Lord himself, the Lord of peace, pour into you his peace in every circumstance and in every possible way. The Lords tangible presence be with you all.

Falling to Pieces into Peace

By Sandra Main

I sat in my car.  My stomach was churning.  I grasped the steering wheel as I reminded myself to breathe.  “Just open the door, Sandra,” I said to myself, “and walk your grown-up self to the entrance.” Instead, I text my husband knowing full well he was busy with his classroom of 2nd and 3rd-grade students.  

“I’m about to go in. Pray for me…” I wrote in my text. 

“Will be praying for you,” he replied. 

I text back, “I’m getting my courage on while I sit in the car.  I am afraid…”

A moment later, he sent me a recorded message from his class of students cheering me on.

There is nothing that disrupts our peace faster than fear.  I imagine that is why God tells us so many times in His Word not to be afraid.  He is our strength, our provider, our protector, our everything, and yet all too often, I find myself gripped by the grimy hands of fear.  

When the emotions are high, and you feel that your heart is going to pound right out of your chest, God’s goodness prevails. I imagine Jesus giving me an eye roll now and then as He knows the end from the beginning.

In my heart (that pounding one) I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Peace in the dentist’s office.”  Yes, you read that correctly, I sat in my car in the mostly empty parking lot of the dentist’s office.  My past experience has made it a place to avoid if possible, and avoidance I have sought with excellence until very recently.  So here I am sitting in the car watching the minutes pass until the inevitable adulting doom arrives.  

Then, at that very moment, my car stereo turned on playing midway through a song by Bethel Music called “Peace.”

“I remember who You are
You’re the God who’s never far
So, I will not be afraid
God, You always, You always keep me safe”

The stereo turned off as abruptly as it started, and I was no longer shaking in fear but shaking with God’s goodness and the overwhelming encounter with the Prince of Peace.  My tears were not a response to dental agony but from the precious presence of Jesus.  He is so good.

My circumstance did not change.  I still had a broken tooth that needed to be addressed and I was about to enter the lion’s den, so to speak.  But…. I grabbed onto the peace.  God is with me; God is for me, and He will not leave me for a moment.  With that, I pulled up my big girl pants, and taking a deep breath, I walked through the door.

Surprisingly, I found the kindest and most caring dental team on the other side of that entrance.  Believe it or not, in the end, the tooth situation was not nearly as bad as I thought.  The Holy Spirit knew all along.  Yet, He was so gentle and patient to get me through my moments of freak-out.  

In John 14:7, I am reminded not to yield to fear but instead to be courageous.  It is the power of His PEACE that makes us courageous when moving head-on into uncharted territory or encountering the ugliest of circumstances.  It was and is His PEACE that changed the trajectory of the entire world and ushered in the HOPE and JOY of our Salvation.

Reflect:

Today is a good day to let go of the anxiety and concerns that subtly direct our decisions and responses to people in our lives.  Instead, welcome peace, God’s peace that surpasses all understanding and launches courage in the face of fear.  He is with us. He is for us. Declare, “peace, be still.”

Prayer:

Thank you Jesus – You are our hope in times of trouble and our peace that enables us to be full of courage.  I can do all things through you.  Amen.