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But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel. (Micah 5:2)
Does peace seem elusive to you these days? Think you can find it at the mall or one of the many crowded stores, dear Friend? Today's passage says we can find peace in He whose arrival we are preparing, Jesus the Lord. And it matters not where He comes from, though God chose the least likely of places, one where city planners and city rulers would not have chosen; God chose the smallest clan of Judah, the one who was to rule over Israel; whose purpose would be the restoration of all people back to God, One who would feed the people "in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God." Those who believe in Him "shall live secure, for He is great to the ends of the earth." This is the message of Advent and Christmas: Jesus is our peace. And it matters not where we find ourselves, peace is within us. It is what gets us through last-minute shopping, menu planning for the big day, travel arrangements for those coming or going to be with family and loved ones; Jesus is our peace.
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, but their word goes beyond just the absence of conflict, it speaks of the entire wellbeing of a person to whom you say shalom. It is a true concern for the whole person. In college there was a politician-in-the-making in one of our classmates, or at least that is what we suspected, for this guy greeted everyone with the question, "How are you doing?" and before any of us could answer, he was gone! There was no genuine concern for anyone in that question and certainly not in the actions after the question. God is different from anyone like that; God truly cares for you and me. God's ear is always ready to hear from us, especially when we feel we have no peace, or our wellbeing or welfare is far from where we would like it to be. All we have to do is speak and God will listen. All we have to do is ask for His peace, and God will grant it to us.
Stop now and either ask for peace, or thank God you already have peace. And if it's not the absence of conflict or your complete wellbeing, share it with God and God will answer. That's a great Advent message!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, my prayer is that You would share Your shalom with this dear reader. You better than anyone, know the needs, conflicts, anxiousness, worries that they carry. Gently remove from their lives the stress and pressure they are under, and grant them your peace. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a peace-maker today by sharing where you found your peace!
Eradio Valverde
To read the complete text for today click here: http://bit.ly/2UWUCj1
