My head hit the pillow last night after a Sunday filled with good. I was privileged to worship in a beautiful building dedicated to God. I connected with friends, sharing laughter and encouragement. I taught my little class of middle school students about the coming King of Glory. Yet, when the lights went off and I gave voice to prayer, the suffering of millions around this world who are caught in the crossfire of war, who exist on the edge of starvation, who are tormented by those more powerful weighed on me.
For more than a hundred years governments spent $billions to attempt to create peace and yet the 20th century was the bloodiest in human history. With all of our education and advances this world still teeters on the brink of war. Yes, it made me anxious! Perhaps for you the anxiety is much closer to home - a chronic illness, a broken heart, money troubles, or just the ordinary irritants of everyday life.
Here is the passage on which I meditated last night as I
prayed for peace - personally and in this world. "Humble yourselves,
therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast
all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7,
NIV) There are two directives for us there.
First is “humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand.”
Peter knew the subtle seduction of pride that invites us to attempt self-sufficiency.
When Jesus warned him that he was about to go through a time of intense temptation,
that he was a target of Satan, he bragged before the other disciples: “Lord,
I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.” (Luke
22:33, NLT) Hours later, when questioned
by a servant girl about his relationship to Jesus, he swore “I never knew him!” He became the victim of his own bravado!
Like toddlers experiencing independence, we may declare -“I
can do it myself.” And just like those
same toddlers who find themselves frustrated by their inability to actually do
what they thought they could do, we find ourselves at the end of our patience, without
peace, sometimes in a worse mess for all our flailing about to make it better.
Or, am I just talking about myself? A
step on the pathway to peace is choosing to be humble,
acknowledging our weakness, our fear, our inability to control our own lives,
much less the world in which we live. In that choice, we then turn to the One
who speaks to the storm, who quiets the waves, who holds us securely in His
grasp. We say, from the heart, “Lead on, O King Eternal!”
Second we are urged to “Cast all your anxiety on Him.”
In another season of life, I wrestled with anxious thoughts
often in the dark hours of early morning.
You may smile at my choice, but it was effective for me. I would think
of those things that were keeping me awake, that were robbing me of peace, and
imagine that I held them in my hand, then I literally would turn my hand
upward, open my hand and think of handing those things to Jesus. It was a kind
of visualized prayer.
Peter’s words tell us to throw our cares onto His shoulders, that He is willing to carry our load!
The Gospel song says -
“Are you weary, are you heavy-hearted? Tell it to Jesus!
Do you fear the gath'ring clouds of sorrow? Tell it to Jesus!
Are you anxious what shall be tomorrow? Tell it to Jesus
alone!
You've no other such a friend or brother. Tell it to
Jesus alone.”
This second week of Advent we are invited to peace. Let’s make it more than a nice thought. Let’s live in peace.
The word from the Word speaks of the One who came to us in Bethlehem.
Pray with me “be my Prince of Peace.” "For
to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his
shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on
and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this."
(Isaiah 9:6-7, NIV)
(Video of this blog at this link)
____________________
(Willie Nelson sings the song)
Are you weary are you heavyhearted
Tell it to Jesus
Are you grieving over joys departed
Tell it to Jesus alone
Tell it to Jesus
He's a friend that's well known
Tell it to Jesus alone
You've no other such a friend or brother
Tell it to Jesus alone
Do the tears flow down your cheeks unbidden
Tell it to Jesus
Have you sins that to men's eyes are hidden
Tell it to Jesus alone
Do you fear the gath'ring clouds of sorrow
Tell it to Jesus
Are you anxious what shall be tomorrow
Are you troubled at the thought of dying
Tell it to Jesus
For Christ's coming kingdom are you sighing
Tell it to Jesus alone
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