Advent Devotion - Day 13

Join us through this special time of Advent as we dive deeper into the Word of God. Each day, we will pray and reflect on a different passage from Scripture. Daily Readings are from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, and reflections are written by our church staff.

Dear God,
It’s difficult to fully let go of our anxiety, or the world around us when we can’t see evidence of all that you’re doing – when we can’t understand or see your purpose or plan. Today, we pause and remind ourselves of our dependency on you, for we know in our hearts that our circumstances and futures are touched by your hands.

Isaiah 55:8 reminds us that our thoughts are not your thoughts – and that our ways are not your ways. When we are struggling to see clearly and make decisions, we are not alone and that inner peace is something only you can supply.

So today, Lord, we purposefully, even urgently, say again that we choose to believe in you. We know that it’s often in the most challenging times that you are most at work. Thank you for being the one who gives us the strength to help each other and to see distinctly the choices we face. As we scan our personal horizons, we know that we also must look to you alone for the power and possibility that is our future.

We ask for your guidance so that we might walk fully in your path – a path that you have blessed. We also ask for your face to shine on us – individually, and as a team of colleagues and partners.

Please bring to fulfillment all that you have given us to do in the weeks ahead. Give us a heart of wisdom to hear your voice, and then make our footsteps firm. Please make us strong through your favor and grace.

-Greg Christopher, Xavier University-

Psalm 146:5-10

How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
⁶ Who made heaven and earth,
The sea and all that is in them;
Who keeps faith forever;
⁷ Who executes justice for the oppressed;
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free.
⁸ The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;
The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;
The LORD loves the righteous;
⁹ The LORD protects the strangers;
He supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He thwarts the way of the wicked.
¹⁰ The LORD will reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!

My mother was a strong woman of faith. In my lifetime I never remember her being in a state of anxiety or worry. One of her “pearls of wisdom” was that worry was a lack of faith. I have lived a large portion of my life not worrying a lot. The Spirit has given me peace many times in my journey. However, in 1988, my middle child, LaDonna, was beaten up and her jaw was broken in two places by a guy she knew. Due to this experience, she lived in a state of anxiety for many years. Finally, in 2003, she married and her life returned to being more “normal.” Then her husband, Jack, was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. LaDonna was his primary caregiver. She took him to doctor appointments, stayed with him during chemo treatments and a bone marrow transplant, and spent many nights in the hospital with him. As time went on, his condition worsened. This was when I began to worry about what would happen to her if he passed away. I prayed and tried to figure out how she would survive on her own again.

God had a different plan. LaDonna passed away first and Jack followed four months later. During this time, it became very clear to me that worry was not productive and no matter what I planned or thought, I had no control over the big picture. God is concerned about everything that happens to us. No worry is too big or too small for His attention. When we give God our problems, He promises to give us peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Our hope is in the Lord and when we seek Him, he will give us the peace that only He can give when things happen that we don’t understand. Praise the Lord!

Will you go to God with your life’s pieces so that he can give you unbroken peace?