Message – Advent IV -December 20, 2020

Views from the Pews

Peace

What is peace? We all know it is something that you can experience, but do you have it? Is it only available when everything in your life is going great or can it be found when things are not going great? One truth I have come to realize as a Christian is that true peace can only come from knowing who God is.

There are three words that are forever linked. They are fear, trust, and peace. It is so easy in the human condition to feel fear. We can experience fear in areas of health, finances, work, our children, family, the list is endless. Now there comes a time in our Christian walk when we must face the possibility that in certain pockets of our life, we do not trust God. How do I know that? When we do not trust God, we worry, we have no peace. Until you place complete trust in your God in that area of your life, knowing that He is able, you will have no peace.

This complete trust in God is not acquired overnight. It comes from being placed in situations where you must exercise that trust. If we do not give up, but continue to learn about God, who He is, what He is capable of, that He only wants the best for us as a loving Father, and then release control over the situation to God, then the trust will come, and the peace will come.

We will always find ourselves in times of uncertainty, of not knowing what is around the corner. But God sees around the corners of our lives. Trusting God, especially during this season, is the only sensible thing to do as a Christian. I leave you with a favorite scripture, one that we in the church already know, but it is one that not many of us live by. It is Phillipians 4 vs 6- 7 (NIV) which says, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus’.

As Christians, we need to live this verse every day. Jesus Christ came on this earth to open the door of peace to us. It is our right as children of God to have this peace. We do not have to stay in a condition of ‘worry or fear’. We have a choice. We will always have a choice. Today, as we celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us avail ourselves of what is already ours, PEACE.

Jacqueline Samuda