Devotion: Peace Divine

Isaiah 11:9
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

#PrayforParis

I have to be careful about watching the news because every, single day tragic events happen that turn my stomach and hurt my heart. But on Friday, Nov. 13, I received a text from my oldest daughter, Adrienne. “Mom, did you see what’s happening in Paris? I can’t get a hold of Berenice.” I had to turn on the news.

Adrienne is spending a year in London working on her Masters in Applied Linguistics. French is her second language and she has many friends who live in Paris. For 9 hours, we held hopes that one of her dearest friends was safe. Then I received another text, “She’s fine!” That one hit too close to home for us.

A couple of days later I received another text, “We’re still going to Paris for Thanksgiving. Tell Berenice’s mom I would never leave her behind.” How does a parent not rage with fear? How can you find peace when you have no control? How do you not let your mind immediately go to worst case scenarios? How do you not let fear become an obsession that rules your thoughts and your actions?

On the weekend of the Paris attacks, the 1st-5th grade Christmas Choir was working on memorizing the lyrics, “Goodwill to all the earth, and peace divine.” One little boy raised his hand and asked, “What does ‘peace divine’ mean?”

Oh buddy, what a perfect question. Peace divine is something that can only come from God. Peace divine means that God gave us Jesus to take care of all those things that we can’t understand.

Peace divine reminds us that we do not have to live in fear.

In this blessed Christmas season, hold on to the Prince of Peace. Let Him become your obsession.

Gracious Father, how do we begin to thank you for a gift that was so gingerly wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger? Cover us in a blanket of peace that only You can give. Happy Birthday, Jesus. Amen.

This devotion is written by Julie Anderson.

If you would like to serve as a member of the Sheridan Lutheran Writing Team and help to write devotions based on the text for the weekend, contact Patty Forsberg.

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