Christmas: A Promise of Peace and more

With so many things to do during the Christmas season, sometimes our day seems to fly by. Before you even have time to think about, it's 9 o’clock in the night again and it is time to go back to bed . Could you believe that today is the 20^th  and in eleven days 2011 will be over?

I was having breakfast with my husband  early this morning (he needs to leave our house five minutes by 3:55 AM) and I asked him the same. If perhaps, it is something that it is related to our age (Well, with my age, because he's still a 54 year old teen at heart). He thought maybe the coffee was too strong for my brain, and maybe he was right.

But it wasn't always like this. I remember that when I was young, time went slowly and Christmas day was far, far away. From December eighth, our last day of school and the first official day that the beaches were open to the public, until Christmas’ eve, there was a whole month… an entire life in between the two days.

 I also remember another December that the clock froze and time did not want to run: the first year that my daughter passed away.

My sister and my brother-in-law came from Toronto, Canada to Memphis and the warmth of their love made that year, 1992, the most memorable Christmas ever. My nieces were little princesses. Nikki was only 5 years old and her smile made the day bright. She was telling me that she loved me more than 10 Ronald McDonald’s houses (A Housing program for families in  St Jude Cancer Research's Hospital ) put together. Here in Memphis, the building is a whole block.

Patty, who was only 15 years old, was a perfect companion from the sweetness of her personality and the effort that she put that Christmas to make my son, who was only 12, the happiest boy on earth.

We can never thank them enough …. Being far from your country can be very sad when you have no family around you.

But the emptiness was also there.

When you lose any member in your family, the Holidays seem to be unnecessary and in some way, your heart just wants time to skip to January the 2^th and have everything in your life go back to… normal.

I received a prayer request from a group of Moms that pray for other moms and their children. This lady was asking us to pray for peace because this was her first Christmas without her mother. 

Her words had been of how many had told her that the first year without a loved one could be the hardest but that eventually, it would become easier. She hadn't even been able to imagine such a thing. Christmas had always been a time of joy and happiness, but at that particular time, she just couldn't feel it.

Pray for peace, peace for the heart and the mind. 

"Wow", I had thought in my heart, "What a perfect time to pray for Peace, because those were the first words of the angel to the shepherds: "Peace on earth."

Luke 2:14 

¹⁴Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased [^[a]men of goodwill, of His favor].

The coming of The Lord Jesus brings Glory to Heaven and Peace to the one who  pleases HIM. Really, I had never paid attention that The Lord did not say to all the earth but to all who pleased Him.

I looked for the definition of Peace; the Hebrew word is Shalom (שָׁלוֹם) both the adjective and substantive forms means security, health, prosperity, well-being, peace, completeness, and welfare.

So to say, shalom seems not to merely speak of a state of affairs, but describes a process, an activity, and a movement towards fullness, to make amends, make good, to be (or to make) peace, to restore, peace prosperity, wellness and wholeness.

Shalom is the common friendly greeting, but Shalom is also His natural inner because He chose it to be His Name.

Judges 6:24 

²⁴ And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the Lord is peace”). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day.

In the book Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin, (Eerdmans, 1995) the

author Cornelius Plantinga described the Old Testament concept of shalom:

“The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophet’s call shalom. We call it peace but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.”

He promises a covenant of peace.

 Isaiah 54:10

For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My loving-kindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace (shalom; eirene = the promise of the New Covenant to be fulfilled in Christ) will not be shaken," Says the LORD who has compassion.

Think of it this way. If your life is a table, which uses four legs to balance itself, what would if a supposed leg were to disappear? Everything would become unbalanced and the table would collapse. Jesus is the only one who could possibly restore this balance, even when one of your loved ones had been the leg holding up your table.

So if you really need prayer because one of your relatives got promoted this year and  will be celebrating Christmas in Heaven, your family or friend is in the front line, you or  your loved one have a very dangerous job, you have no job like me and you are wondering how you will provide Christmas for your family, you are in the Hospital: you are sick or somebody that you love is sick, or if you are in another country and feel lonely, don’t  be. Remember that God Shalom is your security, health, prosperity, well-being, peace, completeness, and welfare. 

Peace is a prominent attribute of the Messianic times

 Isaiah 2:4

The LORD will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.

Isaiah 9:6

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 16:33

³³ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

When you pray, pray these scriptures aloud. Make your heart and soul remember that they are God’s promises and they are YOURS.

Be Gideon today. Make Peace with Him. Build an altar for Him. Walk in His Promises.

Do you need prayer? Please let us know our Ministry is fasting and prayer the 365 days non stop.

365prayingforyou@gmail.com  or  365prayer@famemphis.net

Maria 

* If you would like a further study, I recommend this link. It could prove to be very useful. W. L. Walker    http://topicalbible.org/p/peace.htm