Peace on Earth...In a Crazy World!

What does peace on earth look like? When beauty pageants speak of this peace, their vision is a world without war, generally speaking. So when the angels declared that there would be peace on earth, people might have logically expected that this Messiah would be a king who would bring about peace for Isreal, so that they would no longer be under Roman rule.

It's interesting, though, that while many Christmas carols address peace on earth, the NIV in Luke 2:14 says, "...and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." The ESV says, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” While having peace on earth for all men is nice, that's not what the angels seem to be talking about, nor do they seem to be saying that all people on Earth will experience peace because Jesus is born. No. The angels seem to be specifically addressing those who please God--that they will experience peace.

Who pleases God? Hebrews 11 seems to directly address this when the writer states, "and without faith, it is impossible to please God. For those who come to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." There are many other passages that we could look at, but suffice it to say that the angels seem to imply that the peace is for God's elect (Christians), not everyone.

Theological terminology aside, what does this peace mean practically? How does it (or should it) impact our daily lives? I've been asking myself this question these past few weeks as life has gotten overwhelmingly busy. The curriculum developers changed our curriculum but did not give us resources, causing us to spend 2-4 hours each day creating resources. Our administrators are passing the buck, forcing us to do all of the parent contacting (even for major refferels). The county is requiring we spend every day in some sort of meeting, so we often only have 48 minutes or less to do anything on our own. Mounds of ungraded papers continue to pile up because all of my time is spent prepping the lesson for the next day! And by February, we have to determine whether we're staying at the school for three years or leaving, and if we leave, we have to start getting our resumes out. A LOT of stress! Many people have stresses other than work--running kids around, cooking, cleaning, taking care of toddlers/babies, laundry--and its cyclical, too. It may seem like you're never done with laundry or cleaning--once it's clean, it becomes dirty again. Many have big decisions about work as well. How can we live in this "peace" that we're supposed to have in this crazy world?

Maybe I'm completely off here, but it seems that peace is related to rest. It's late and I'm losing my train of thoughts, but I'm going to continue to explore this idea of peace and rest throughout this holiday season. One verse I found is Psalm 62:5, which says, "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him." I think I need to start and end my day reflecting on this truth, for starters!

When We Don't Know Our Needs

I was driving down 108 from Columbia Mall, car running on fumes, with two thoughts on my mind: Lord, let me find a gas station soon! and Do I really need this money? I had just met with someone I'll be tutoring, someone who insisted he pay me up front: $300 in cash. I really don't need extra money, but I felt a small voice say, It's my provision for you. I really am not in any hard place, and really offered to help more out of helping a friend than getting pay. The comment didn't make sense to me, but I forgot about it as I began to realize that if I did not find a gas station soon, I'd be stranded on the side of the road. Suddennly, I saw it: a small, little off-brand gas station with the cheapest gas I'd seen. As I eagerly turned in to the gas station, I read a sign that said, "Cash only." Then I understood. Had I not gotten paid in cash, I would not have had any cash to get gas.

It's neat how God provides for us before we know we need provision, which makes me think more closely about my life. How many frustrations in my life are there because of God's provision? If the frustrations at work are causing me to think about a new "career," then should I really view these frustrations as trials, or as God's way of nudging me? Just a thought as we enter the season of giving. God provided His Son, but he also provides for us every days. His mercies are new every day.