Tag: 2 Timothy 2:22

A Recipe for Peace in a Season of Stress

Last week a friend from Bible study shared a story I’ve been pondering ever since. She was on a walk with her close friend who is Jewish. As they were talking about the stress and busyness of the holiday season, her friend made an unsettling observation: “It seems like all of my Christian friends are so stressed in the weeks leading up to Christmas.” Being Jewish, she seemed relieved she didn’t have to participate in all the activities surrounding the celebration of Christ’s birth. The joy and peace we sing about in carols wasn’t evident among the believers she knew. Instead, she saw endless to-do lists and overwhelming obligations.

We could blame this on a lot of things in our culture—commercialism, materialism, capitalism or even the paganizing of a once holy holiday. And while these things might be partly to blame, the truth is that all of us have the tendency to float with the current of our culture if we don’t intentionally swim against it, even when we’re celebrating the birth of our Savior.

We would be wise to listen more carefully to messages in the music of the season. Handel’s Messiah, for example, is taken straight from Old Testament prophecies from Isaiah. It tells us about the coming of our Savior, Jesus. Take a look at this portion:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, NIV)

That last name for Jesus, Prince of Peace, holds the key to moving from a chaotic Christmas season to a peaceful one. Studying a few passages, I discovered a recipe for peace laid out in Scripture and thought I’d share a few essential ingredients:

Disciplining Our Focus: Peace doesn’t happen automatically. One of my favorite verses says: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3, NIV). To be steadfast means to be resolute, committed, firm, and unwavering. We find peace when we fix our minds on God’s trustworthiness, knowing that He is good and faithful. A quick scan of my concordance revealed three different passages where we are urged “to seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:14b, 2 Tim 2:22, 1 Peter 3:11). To seek and pursue something requires discipline and ongoing effort. We must relentlessly eliminate distractions of lesser things that cloud our thinking and lead us toward stress and anxiety. Reading the Bible and praying daily helps us focus on the truth we need to remain peaceful throughout the day.

Following God’s Ways: The Christmas story recorded in Luke’s gospel includes angels rejoicing over the birth of Jesus singing, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14, NIV) Psalm 119 helps us to understand that God’s favor rests on people who follow His ways: “Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” (Psalm 119:165, NIV). Although it often means moving in the opposite direction of our culture, living God’s way leads to the peace we all crave.

Relying on the Holy Spirit: We aren’t going to find peace by trying harder. We’re not going to experience it by pretending to be calm when we’re freaking out on the inside. The only way to find true peace is with God’s help. Jesus explained this to His disciples, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 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 14:26-7, NIV)

The Holy Spirit reminds us of God’s truth through Scripture. We engage Him by asking for His help and letting Him show us how to apply it to our daily lives. The peace He gives isn’t based on circumstances going the way we want—that’s worldly peace. His peace goes so much deeper and encompasses so much more.

Leaning into God changes our thoughts, which changes our lives: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9, NIV)

If you’re struggling with stress and anxiety, here’s my prayer for you: “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, NIV)

Handel’s Messiah that I mentioned earlier includes 53 movements divided in three parts. It usually takes 2 ½- 3 hours to perform. I remember sitting through it at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco a few times as a fidgety child. (I liked getting dressed up and going to the city but my parents failed to mention how long the performance would last!) Below are two different portions. The first video includes the lyrics that call Jesus Prince of Peace. 

This second video includes the part I always liked best, the Hallelujah Chorus. It shows the power of letting God’s peace invade your Christmas busyness. If you’re like me, it may bring a few tears to your eyes (in a good way). Enjoy!

Faith Foundations #3: Don’t Shipwreck Your Faith

Wading into the water, the waves lapped at my shins as I clutched a boogie board in my hands. I was thirteen and trying hard to show I was old enough to handle myself in the ocean waves.  As the youngest, I’d spent my childhood trying to keep up with “the guys”–my nickname for my four older siblings. More often than not, I was too little to participate in whatever fun activity they were doing. I’d taken one too many rides on the carousel while they rode roller coasters at Disneyland. Now that I was a teenager, I was determined not to miss out.

My two older brothers had been skeptical about having me join them riding the waves in Hawaii. Promising they would come back in to get me, they suggested going out first to test the conditions. I was convinced it was a ploy to ditch me and refused to go along with their plan. What I didn’t consider was that being four and six years older than me gave them a significant advantage in the waves. They were stronger, heavier, and more experienced in the ocean.  They also had swim fins; I did not.

The surf was breaking a long way from shore and by the time we made it out, I was already tired.  We paddled hard to catch a few waves and quickly realized there was a strong current pulling us toward a lava bed about 100 yards away.  We tried repositioning ourselves, but were no match for the strong riptide. Without fins, I just couldn’t generate the kind of power needed to swim out of it.

Not wanting to leave me, my brothers quickly made the decision that we would swim for the shallow lava bed. Once there, we could get out, climb up the steep incline to the road and walk back to the beach. To avoid getting tossed by a wave, we would have to time our exit just right.  Jagged black formations ominously jutted out of the water as we swam toward them. I continued to kick frantically and watched as one of my brothers reached the edge of the lava. He stood up as the first wave in a new set rolled in. Before I knew what was happening, I was engulfed in frothing water and being raked across the jagged lava. Flailing, the force of the water kept my head submerged while the receding wave began pulling me back out to sea. I was utterly helpless and would have been pummeled further or even drowned had my brother not reached down and caught my arm.  Gasping for breath, we stumbled across the lava bed and headed for the road bloodied, battered, and glad to be on dry land.

An hour later back at our vacation condo, the magnitude of what had just happened began to sink in. Standing alone in the shower, I cried realizing that my stubborn pride could have cost my life and the lives of my brothers.  I was so sure that they were purposely preventing me from having fun that I’d missed the fact that they were trying to keep me safe. No one had to say, “I told you so” to me, I already knew what a huge mistake I’d made.

Sometimes I wonder how often we do the same thing with God. We want our way so desperately and we’re so convinced we know best that we plunge ahead without thinking of the consequences. We can’t possibly imagine that the “fun” He’s keeping us from could be harmful. So, we do things our way and come out bruised, battered, and stunned.  Sometimes, we even blame God for the messes we’ve created.  Yet despite this, He’s always there to pick us up again.

Just like it’s never wise to swim alone, it’s never wise to live the Christian life alone. God designed us to be in community, not just to enjoy fellowship, but to support and encourage one another. We need fellow believers to hold us accountable and to spur us on in our faith. At every stage of life, we need authentic Christian connections to help us through challenges and to keep us pointed in the right direction. Life transitions are the places where we’re prone to get off course. Whether you are heading off to college, just entering the workforce, newly married, starting a family, moving to a new home, preparing for an empty nest, or entering retirement, there are a few things you can do to keep your faith from shipwrecking during the season of change:

–Invite someone you trust to hold you accountable and to spur you on in your faith: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17, NIV)

-Be intentional about finding and connecting with other believers: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25, NIV)

-Know your weaknesses and limits and don’t put yourself in situations where you’re likely to compromise your faith: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly…Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:15,16,22, NIV)

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—  having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” (2 Tim 3:1-5, NIV)

-Seek and listen to wise counsel: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 3:14-15, NIV)

In keeping with the ocean/ shipwreck theme, I couldn’t resist including this song. Click on the link and enjoy “My Lighthouse” by Rend Collective.