Another pastor who had to do a difficult funeral recently shared how she was tense as she approached the pulpit, but felt the presence of God when it was time to begin. Her fears were released and she was fine.
It is something I have felt on many occasions myself. I have felt the very presence of God enter and give me a peace that transcends all comprehension.
What does Paul say about anxiety? How can we avoid this anxiety? What will the peace of God do?
Unfortunately Christmas can be a time of nothing but anxiety for many people (I often have anxiety-filled holidays). There is stress and worry over the finances of buying so many gifts. There is anxiety over getting the right thing for everyone, or at least SOMETHING for everyone. Even attending parties can be a source of stress – because it can come with a sense of obligation in an already full schedule.
But this is not the purpose of Christmas. The time of Christmas should not be a time of anxiety and worry, but a time when we focus our attention on the gift of Jesus, a gift intended to bring peace, not fear.
We should remember the reason for the birth of Christ. He was born to reconcile man to God, to cast away fears and doubts and be an assurance and a comfort to us all.
Paul’s words to the Philippians are God’s words to us as well. We should not be anxious about anything. We should not worry or fret about things. Instead, we should give all to God and trust in His great mercy and love. If there is an issue that does cause us concern, we should present it in prayer to God and then let Him resolve the issue.
When we can trust in God and trust that He is taking care of us, then we will receive that indescribable, unexplainable peace that comes from knowing we are in God’s hands and all will be well.
DAILY CHALLENGE: What holiday worry can you hand over to God?
2 comments:
I needed this devotion to remind me of what I need to be focusing on. I am a Christian, love Jesus with all my heart, and my greatest desire is to serve the Lord. Yet this time of year I start thinking of all the things you mentioned, things which should not be a part of the celebration of Christ's birth, or at least not the focus. I am praying I will keep this devotion as the center of my thinking this year, and not let the worldly celebration with gifts, decorating, etc become so important. THANK YOU!!!
Thank you so much for sharing.
It is so easy to become distracted. We too are working on keeping Christ as the center of our lives and this holiday. It is a daily struggle but one which is well worth the effort.
We can all have the same prayer for ourselves and each other.
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