..Peace is not something we must create,
but something we receive’
Advent 4 : Peace
Catherine Heilbronn
In this season, the world around us is loud. Yet often the greater noise is the kind that hums inside our own minds of the unfinished tasks, the worries we rehearse and the quiet ache of things we cannot control. It can feel as though peace is something we must carve out by force.
Jesus invites us into a peace that surpasses understanding. This peace is not rooted in stress-free circumstances, or being left alone – as Theologian Francis Schaeffer reminds us: ‘as soon as Christians seek ‘personal peace and affluence’ they have lost the kingdom vision’. Rather, real, lasting peace is found in His abiding presence.
So, if this sounds as good to you as it does to me, the next question is: how can we obtain it?
Well, one way we can experience this peace is through praying for others. When we lift others before God, we shift our focus from our own worries and anxieties to acts of compassion and intercession. In doing so, we participate in the very heart of Christ, who continually intercedes for us. This selfless prayer quiets our anxieties, opens us to gratitude, and reminds us that we are all held in God’s love.
As we journey through Advent – waiting, hoping, preparing – peace is not something we create, but something we receive. As we turn our prayers outward, we make room in our hearts for Christ who is ‘Prince of Peace’. In these quiet moments of intercession, we often find ourselves encountering Jesus – His gentleness, His compassion and His abiding presence that meets us where we are.
Jesus Himself prayed for the unity of all those who would follow him: “My prayer is not for [my disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
(John 17:20–21).
Even as He faced the trials and suffering of the cross, Jesus’ prayers were for others. That they would have unity (v23) and might see His glory (v24).
This act of praying for others becomes an offering and a meeting place with Jesus. It transforms worry into worship and isolation into communion. And, as Paul tells the Philippians, the peace we receive is transformative for our hearts and minds:
‘And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:7)
As the body of Christ, we are invited to be agents and bearers of His peace. When we pray for each other, we weave a fabric of grace that reflects God’s kingdom on earth. In prayer, we are knitting a world wide web of grace!
In this last week before Christmas, to know His peace, you might consider setting aside intentional moments to pray for others.
Take a moment now to light a candle and offer up those in our community who may be lonely, burdened, or in need of hope.
Let our hearts turn toward the promise of peace that comes with the birth of Christ and pray: