“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth
peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
(Luke 2:14 NIV)
Does it seem like this world has gone absolutely crazy?
I probably don't need to expound upon the question, "How is it crazy?"
But I will say that, unless you are totally and completely immersed in God's Goodness, it's challenging to stay in the Peace he wants to give us.
In every era and place there have been challenging circumstances that have stretched the faith and hope of believers. “I Heard the Bells,” is a poem written by the 19th century American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This poem, originally entitled “Christmas Bells,” was written Christmas day, 1863 in the middle of the American Civil War, and after Longfellow’s cherished wife had died and he’d received news his son was injured in battle.
The first verse says:
I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old, familiar carols playEach subsequent verse ends with those encouraging words “Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
And wild and sweet the words repeat, of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Under Longfellow’s circumstances, we could understand if the poem’s words were very gloomy, indeed. Maybe you or someone you know is struggling right now or maybe as you look at this world Longfellow’s words resonate with you:
And in despair I bowed my head; "There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
The first Disciples who watched Jesus die on the cross and be buried in the tomb had to have been filled with that same darkness, despair, and hopelessness of Longfellow - and of many people today. But the disciples’ story doesn’t end there. On the first Easter morning, the Disciples found an empty tomb - and a Risen Savior! Jesus’s Resurrection gave them hope and joy and peace.
Perhaps this last verse of Longfellow’s poem can give the hurting of our day a bit of Light and Hope:
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
The enemy of our souls wants us in chaos - in despair - in hopelessness. But God wants us to be in love, joy, and peace. The darkness Longfellow saw was real - just as the darkness we see today is real. But the darkness is not God! God is light. John the Apostle tells us, “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” No darkness. No chaos or evil, only light. Only hope. Only peace.
That’s why Longfellow was able to proclaim that God is not dead or sleeping and that the wrong shall fail and the right prevail. The dark shall fail and the Light shall prevail. God’s Word gives us this hope. That’s why when the angels that announced Jesus’s birth to the nearby shepherds they also announced peace. They said “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
This isn’t the cheap “no war” peace the world offers, but God’s shalom - a deep, God-centered peace that includes harmony, prosperity, wholeness, and tranquility.
God's Peace is the opposite - the antidote - to chaos and crazy.
Jehovah Shalom,
Thank you for the many ways in which you call us to rest in you, to be patient, and to trust that in the midst of chaos and troubles, you are with us. Thank you that you are the Almighty God, our refuge and fortress, the God in whom we trust. Help us to dwell in you, to rest in you, and to make you our strong tower. Help us to know that no matter what terror, arrow, plague, or pestilence seems to be coming at us, no disaster will come near us and you will punish the wicked. Help us to focus our eyes on you and to rest in your shalom. Help us to live with peace on earth and goodwill to all people. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:7 NIV)
"The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." (Proverbs 18:10 NIV)
"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent." (Psalm 91:1-10 NIV)
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