Motivation Monday - Why the Prince of Peace is the Promise You Need
“May you believe that only His Peace has the power to quell all fear, bring light into the darkest of places and fill the hungriest part of your soul.”
We are entering the fourth week of Advent season. Along with the lighting of the Peace candle, our hearts are also on fire with new news of a covid variant of concern. Today on the news a survey reported that three of out of five people in Canada are worried about becoming ill and passing it on to others. The fear that the some sort of respiratory illness will always be with us mounts with each passing day.
What can override this fear? Certainly not wishful thinking, or placing all of our hope in those in power, or even religious leaders.
The sweet promise found in the babe that came to save us
also carries super-natural power
in the promise of a peace that is strong enough to conquer all fear,
past, present and all to come.
I have not experienced more uncertainty at any point in my lifetime, and I am thinking you haven’t either.
But to each of us who open wide our hearts to welcome the Saviour of the World and the giver of ever-lasting peace, the space for fear can only diminish.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Kindred Conference, hosted by the stunning Nadia Marychurch, Pastor at Local Church in Ottawa and her lovely team. Nadia shared that there is a difference between peace-keeping and peace-making. Many of us have wanted to keep peace – in our families, our churches, our workplaces – at any price, no matter what it ends up costing us. We have fooled ourselves into thinking it is better to keep the peace than to advocate for change, for love, for the gospel. Peace-making is different. Jesus lived out peace-making as not shying away from declaring truth, not shying away from conflict, but approaching all from love, so He could draw all to Himself and bridge the gap between God and man. I am wondering if you would mull on this question with me this Advent season: “Am I a peace-keeper or a peace-maker?”
I cannot get the words of this stunning refrain out of my heart and mind. May the words so beautifully penned by Chris Price bring you hope and peace, as you welcome the prince of peace into the places of your life where you have you been fearfully waiting in the dark.
May you believe that only His Peace has the power to quell all fear, bring light into the darkest of places and fill the hungriest part of your soul.
Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting
Welcome Holy Child.
Hope that You don't mind our manger
How I wish we could have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home
Bring Your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven's silence
Welcome to our world
Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sins and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world
This Advent season, may you embrace the Prince of Peace, who catches your tears and mends your broken hearts. May you bravely choose to be a courageous peace-maker, not merely a peace-keeper. Choose strong. Don’t conform. Choose the transforming and barrier-breaking peace of the gospel and use peace as an agent of change in this world.
I believe in you!
Cathie