For many, the holidays are a stressful time. For some, life itself is stressful enough with its cares and burdens, with or without the holidays.
So, during this time of celebrating peace and thankfulness with our friends and family, let's refresh our focus, commit our cares to God and purpose to rest in His grace.
Here are five passages from scripture which I hope you will find encouraging, wherever you may find yourself today.
1. Psalm 29:11
"The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace."
The famous poetic book of Psalms is no stranger to the word "peace". Translated from the Hebrew "shalowm", this word "peace" has rich meaning, beyond its more two-dimensional view in English. The word means completeness, soundness, welfare, peace. It is God's blessing to us, and our blessing to each other. To this day "Shalom" is a common greeting among Jews and even some non-Jews. You could say it's the Hebrew equivalent of the Sanskrit "Namaste", but for those of us who believe on Jesus Christ, it goes beyond a mere greeting and serves as an invigorating reminder of our Prince of Peace, and the price He paid to bring us freedom from bondage to sin.
2. Matthew 6:31-34
"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
This passage from Jesus' "Sermon on the mount" is rich with reminders of God's "shalom" blessing to us. Completeness. Here, too, we find the key in the answer to the question, "How do I stop worrying?": "Seek ye first the kingdom of God..." While it's not wrong to work so that you can provide for yourself and your family, our number one priority is to be seeking the kingdom of God- if our focus has derailed then we've probably found ourselves in the midst of catastrophe. Take a moment to reset your mind. Get back on track, find peace with God through prayer and meditation on His word and you will begin to see God's hands at work.
3. Luke 10:40-42
"But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
Here's a practical example of seeking the Kingdom first, and a passage particularly befitting the holiday cares. Martha was miffed that her sister wasn't helping her serve their guests while Jesus taught in their home. She takes the issue to Jesus who reminds her of where her focus should be- invest your time in the eternal, not the temporal cares of life. It wasn't wrong of Martha to serve their guests, but Jesus knew His time to be there and teach would be short and Mary wanted to soak that teaching up while she had the opportunity. Martha could have done the same- their guests weren't there to eat and drink, they were there to listen to the Son of God. Don't forget to take your moment each day to be still and listen to the voice of God. Yes, we have responsibilities we should not neglect, but peace comes when God comes first.
4. Philippians 4:6
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
The phrase "be careful" here is from the Greek "merimnaō" which means "to be anxious". There is a difference between planning and thinking about something, and being anxious about something. When you find yourself overwhelmed and responsibility becomes anxiety, turn to God and ask for His help in the situation. After all, one of His many names is Jehovah Shalom. The Lord our Peace.
5. John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
Finally, here is the promise left us by Jesus: "I am giving you peace, do not let your heart worry." No matter what is going on around us, no matter what evil reports we are faced with, no matter how much work needs to be done, no matter the state of our bank account- let not your heart be troubled. May we remember this always.
I hope you found these verses encouraging. There are many others I could have shared, but what are some of your favorites?
Until next time, Shalom.
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