Peace
SUNDAY
A Blessing Of Peace
There is a beautiful blessing of peace in Numbers 6:22-27. The Lord told Moses to have Aaron and his sons bless the children of Israel with this blessing. I believe that it is a beautiful blessing that God would give to His children today. I have often written verses 24-26 on cards that I have sent to people. May the Lord bless you and give you a beautiful Lord’s Day!
“22 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27)
MONDAY
Peace To Help Us Sleep
When we are worried or fearful about something, it can be almost impossible to sleep. When I have trouble falling asleep, I pray for my family, my church family, and some of the many other prayer requests I have. When I am anxious and can’t sleep, I start thanking the Lord for all He did for me throughout the day. Then, I thank Him for saving me, and for my family and my church, and so many other blessings He has given to me. God has been so good to me and I have so much to be thankful for. After a few minutes of being thankful, my heart begins to praise Him. Soon, I am overwhelmed in the goodness of my Lord and all of my anxiety and troubles fade away. God gives me peace in my heart, mind, and soul and I can sleep peacefully. “I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.” (Psalm 3:5) “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)
TUESDAY
Christmas Peace
Since we have 13 grandchildren we like to begin our Christmas shopping early. If I’m waiting until mid-December to shop it makes me anxious and can disrupt my Christmas joy. Some years I put too much on my schedule and I feel rushed and can’t enjoy Christmas. As I get older I really try to work on making ornaments, shopping, and decorating really early so I can have it done without the Christmas rush. When the children were small, I would be cooking, and wrapping presents as we were ready to walk out the door for our family dinners. I want the peace of Christmas! When the angels appeared to the shepherds they said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14) They left the field where their sheep were gathered and went with haste to Bethlehem. Sometimes when life seems too busy, I leave it all for a while and get alone with my Lord. I like to sit in the dark with the glow of the Christmas lights and sing carols softly. I read the Christmas story. I take time to play with my grandchildren. We bake Christmas goodies. I listen to my favorite Christmas songs while I work about the house. All of these things give me joy at Christmas and help me have peace during a busy time. It’s still four months away, but I want to make sure my focus is on my Savior this year and celebrate His birth in peace.
“8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” (Luke 2:8-20)
WEDNESDAY
Pray For Peace
Today we have a two-part devotional on praying for peace. First, we have a verse from a song of David. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” (Psalm 122:6) I never saw the beauty of the temple that King Solomon built, or the glory of Jerusalem, but I am thankful that one day I will see the New Jerusalem and live forever with my God.
“1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” (Revelation 21:1-3)
We continue on to the New Testament and the Apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy to pray for our leaders. Instead of all the complaining we do about our leaders, we should be spending time in prayer for them.
“1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (I Timothy 2:1-6)
Let’s remember to pray for Jerusalem, and to pray for those who are in authority.
THURSDAY
Doves, A Symbol Of Peace
I was walking towards the back of the church and I noticed a small pillow that someone had brought to help her back. It had a dove with an olive branch in its mouth and the word, “Peace”. Since I have been writing on peace, I thought it would be interesting to look at some of the doves in the Bible. Doves are associated with love and peace. The first is found in Genesis 8, with Noah in the ark. After the flood Noah sent a dove to see if the water had gone down. The dove could not find a place to land and returned to Noah. After seven more days, Noah sent the dove from the ark again. “And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.” (Genesis 8:11-12) The next example is one that I have thought of often when I was tired, or troubled. It is found in Psalms 55. David said, “Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;” (verse 2) Maybe his mournful soul reminded him of the mournful sound of a dove. A dove has a distinctive sad sounding coo and I learned to recognize it at an early age. David continued, “And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.” (Psalm 55:6) In the New Testament, Joseph and Mary took Baby Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, “And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” (Luke 2:24) In Leviticus 12 the law was that the mother was to bring a lamb, but she could offer doves or two young pigeons if she could not afford to give the lamb. The last example I want to mention is given to us in all four of the gospels. Maybe you remember…
“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ” (Matthew 3:16-17)
“And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ” (Mark 1:10-11)
“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21-22)
And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. ” (John 1:32-34)
FRIDAY
God Gives Peace When Prayers Are Answered
Recently I mentioned my growing list of prayer requests. I have seen the Lord answer several prayers and I want to praise Him today. There is joy and peace in knowing that God is hearing and answering our prayers. In our scriptures today we see a woman who found peace when the Lord answered her prayer. In the opening of the book of I Samuel, we find the story of Hannah. Her husband had two wives. One wife had children, but Hannah did not have any children. Her husband did not understand her desire for a son. “Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?” (I Samuel 1:8) The priest did not understand.
“10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.
13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.
15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.” (I Samuel 1:10-15)
We find peace in the answer of the priest. “Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.” (I Samuel 1:17) There were times that Jesus also said, “Go in peace” when He answered prayer. “And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” (Luke 8:48) Jesus gives us peace when He answers our prayers.
SATURDAY
“Peace I Leave With You”
John 14:26-27 is a great closing for our look at “Peace”. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 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.” Before Jesus went to heaven He promised that we could have peace. The peace of God is a great promise.
As the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, lives in us, we are filled with the Spirit of God. And we see the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Let’s live so that others can see the love, joy, and peace from God in our lives, as it runs over in longsuffering, gentleness and goodness to others. And let our heart and soul be guided in faith, meekness and temperance.
