The Advent Adventure- 16 Days to Christmas: The Way to Peace
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“How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.”
Luke 19:42 (NLT)
One of the highlights of our Advent Adventure that I believe will prepare our hearts for Christmas is the way to peace. In the rush toward Christmas preparations with shopping, parties, and over-crowded schedules, our hurried lives can lack peace, the very thing Jesus came to offer us. Isaiah called the Messiah The Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6. Jesus came to offer us the way to peace, yet so few experience His peace today. The bible describes it as a peace that transcends understanding in Philippians 4:7. Have you experienced that kind of peace in your life? You can.
Jesus told His followers that He came to give them peace, yet when He entered Jerusalem, Luke tells us, “As Jesus came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, He began to weep. How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.” Luke 19:41-42 (NLT)
Imagine the scene. It was Palm Sunday, and the crowds were shouting with excitement in anticipation that their Messiah had finally come! While they were seeking relief and deliverance from Roman oppression, they missed the real purpose of His coming! It wasn’t to establish an earthly kingdom as they had hoped. It was to offer them something far greater. He came to offer them “the way to peace!”
Often, while we anticipate receiving answers to our prayers, God may very well answer them in a different way than we had expected. If we’re not careful, we could miss the answer just as the crowd did that day.
It grieved the heart of God that His people, whom He came to redeem, missed the very way to peace He came to offer them. Here’s an insight we need to consider on our Advent Adventure as we prepare our hearts for Christmas: Don’t be so fixed on what you want God to do that you miss the greater work God came to do. Had Jesus come to fulfill their immediate desires, they would have only had a temporary political peace. He came to offer them and us peace with God, and the peace of God! It’s a peace we experience in the midst of the storms of life. Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 (NLT)
As we journey together this Advent season, I pray you will receive the way to peace. Don’t miss the day of Christ’s visitation in your life. Receive Jesus today and experience His peace despite whatever you’re going through.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.