Author: astherainandsnow

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts…

“For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. But you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. Cursed be the cheat who… sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.” Malachi 1:6-8,11-14

“Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations!” Psalm 46:10

“For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,
    a great king over all the earth.” Psalm 47:2

From God came every nation on earth. He made man who birthed men who populated the earth, spreading out to fill its lands. And whether we see, acknowledge, understand, or desire it, He is Lord over all. No thought traipses unknown, no deception goes undetected, no activity escapes His gaze. He is worthy of our honor and best, and is not pleased when we skimp. His name is great! (Genesis 1:1,26-28; Psalm 139:1-4,13-16)

The Lord sets His affection on His own, calling us by name and granting us the privilege of bearing His. We are His light in our homes, communities, cities, and nations, holding out His word of life for all to hear and draw near, as Jesus came into the world to bear witness to the truth. His name is great! (Isaiah 43:1; Matthew 5:14-16; John 18:37)

The Lord is above any other god, greater and higher and incomparable. His name is above any other name, His power and wisdom unmatched. He is King of kings, and Lord of lords, limitless in perfection and glory. His name is great! (Psalm 135:5; Philippians 2:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:15-16)

Almighty God, whose name is great, is, and will be, feared among the nations! How am I contributing to its exaltation? Do my choices fear Him more than man? Do I consider His honor when I recreate, spend, speak? How do my attitudes and countenance enhance, or stain, His reputation? (John 18:17,25-27)

When do I, and will I, regularly ponder the wonders of His name? (Revelation 19:1,6b-7a,11-16

Father, keep me in awe of and esteeming Your name, diligent to take it to heart to give honor to it in all I do and say. (Malachi 2:2,5-7;3:16-17)

“Teach me your way, Lord,
    that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart.” Psalm 86:11

“Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work…’ ‘I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.'” John 4:34; 17:4

“See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” Colossians 4:17

The wisps of cloud are like fine bangs in the early pale, and I can’t get them out of my eyes. Strewn and soft, they tickle my attention skyward, in distracted wonder. Each day is different, each morn offers a different style. My mind praises, and wanders.

How easy it is to get distracted by trivialities that blow into our days, that pester our senses and itch our concentration. They may seem insignificant, yet each teases our focus and deters us from what is important, what the Lord would have us be about. They bore in to divide our hearts, our affections and loyalties and determination, and lure away wholehearted zeal.

What are those little foxes that target us? And why do we so easily succumb? Acknowledging that the enemy exists to steal our devotion, kill our resolve, and destroy our fellowship with the Lord and His people is key to guarding against his wiles. The Lord has called us to holiness, but that enemy relentlessly deters us from that path. The Lord has called us to fruitfulness, but the enemy will constantly pull us to apathy, lethargy, or waywardness. Would we pay attention to the battle, and stand to withstand the attacks? (Song of Solomon 2:15; Isaiah 35:8; John 10:10; 15:5; Ephesians 6:10-13)

It helps to have others with whom we can walk, confide, and be accountable. Have we slipped from consistent, honest fellowship? Where and how are we prone to cover up inner wrestlings and temptations? Are we allowing busyness, or difficulty, or shame, to spread distance between us and others God has given to be a sharpening iron? What excuses do we make for this neglect, and what will we do about it? It is difficult to remain undivided, undistracted, and undeterred alone. (Proverbs 27:17; Hebrews 10:23-25)

Our biblical admonition is to ask God for an undivided heart, to follow our Savior’s example to focus on God’s work and will for us, and to remain wholehearted. Where do we feel weak and need the Spirit’s strength? Ask! When is or will be our regular time for concentrating on our Lord and soaking in His word? With whom can we commit to regular fellowship, conversation, Scripture memory, prayer together? The Lord has given us the Body for good reasons, and we all need each other. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

As we close a year and begin a new one, would we desire and determine to be wholeheartedly devoted to the worthy King? What will we put in place to make that happen?

Lord, stand sentry as a wall of fire all around me, keeping me focused on Your glory in my midst, and Your agenda. (Zechariah 2:5)

“When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose,.. laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel… He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, do you wash my feet?’  Jesus answered him, ‘What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.’  Peter said to him, ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.’”

“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, ‘Do you understand what I have done to you?.. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you… If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.'” John 13:1-10,12,14-15,17

His hour had come. The culmination of His purpose on earth was drawing nigh. In divine knowledge, Jesus understood Judas would soon act on the devil’s prompt to betray Him, and what did He do? Go out and enjoy His final moments of freedom on earth? Seek to be celebrated by His friends? Get alone to pamper Himself in preparation for tough times ahead? No, He abased Himself to wash His beloved disciples’ feet, a final act of intimate selflessness, a final illustration of the forgiveness and cleansing He had come to offer His own. Truly, he loved them to the end.

Life’s clock keeps ticking, and we know we can never undo or repeat our moments and hours. How are we spending them? Arbitrarily or intentionally? For ourselves or Jesus? In temporal or eternal pursuits? On things that won’t last or relationships that will? For personal attention and accolades or the glory and honor of God? (Matthew 6:19-21)

“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ shall last.” ~C.T.Studd (1860-1931)

The Lord has everlasting blessing for those who faithfully labor for Him, forgive others with abandon, and serve for His sake to the end. Will we be deliberate to emulate His example? Will we take up His towel? On whom will we speak benediction? Where and with whom can we serve and love well today? (Matthew 25:21; Ephesians 4:32; Revelation 14:13)

Father, with each day and year You’ve given me, help me love You to the end through selfless service to others. I want to love others as You have loved me, to the exaltation of Your glory and Name. (John 13:34)

“O Lord, how many are my foes!
    Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
    ‘There is no salvation for him in God.’

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
    my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord,
    and he answered me from his holy hill. 

I lay down and slept;
    I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
    who have set themselves against me all around.” Psalm 3:1-6

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
    the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10

Neighbors’ chimes doled a melodious background to the wind shrushing through trees in the chilly dark before dawn. Where I sit, ours hang still and silent, sheltered from the gusty pushing. Within the tower, behind the shield that is our Lord, we are safe from the blow of trouble.

Isn’t this our position in Christ these world-windswept days? We hear the chatter of voices, the clamor of dissension, the cacophony of angry disagreement; we observe changing industry and noisy instability in institutions great and small. Yet, tightly held in Jesus’s name, we are untouched. It is well with our souls. No threat, no blow, need shake or topple us. We stand secure, and if we tune our hearts, can delight in the heavenly music.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.’” Psalm 91:1-2

We may try to erect other shelters- of knowledge, regulated discipline, financial security, schedules tidily set on order. But at the sovereign breath of God’s mouth, man’s structures topple and his plans come to naught. A sudden death, a lost job, a strike of violence, a change of command, a pandemic- anything we cannot control can unsettle and forever alter a day, an outlook, a future. But when the Lord is the shield round about us, He lifts our heads to see His grace, to trace His goodness, to hear His voice. In Him alone we are stable and safe.

“O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.” ~Helen Howarth Lemmel (1922)

What is unsettling our peace? What unknowns, or imagined hypotheticals, do we fear? Where have we allowed the world’s drone of dread, danger, or despair seep in to take over our perspective? If we would plant ourselves square in God’s shelter, we can look at the storm, face the wind, and remain calm. We can be still in the midst of turning turmoil. Would we cling now to His strong name?

If we dwell in the shadow of the Most High, whom will we invite to share His shelter and salvation? With whom will we share this good news, that no matter what threatens in the world, Jesus guards our lives and all of our ways?(Psalm 91:9-16)

Father, thank You for tucking me into Your holy Name. From that shelter may I ever sing and share Your salvation.

“Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany… So [his] sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

“Jesus told [his disciples] plainly, ‘Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him…”  Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days... Martha… went and met him… [and] said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died…’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again… I am the resurrection and the life.Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live…’

Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ Jesus… was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled… Jesus wept. The Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’” John 11:1,3-6,14-15,17,20-21,23,25,32-33,35-36

“If Jesus loves me, then why…?” “Lord, if only… this wouldn’t have happened.” Our ways and thoughts are so much lower and more limited than our Lord’s! We wallow in earthly difficulties, emote with swinging passions, and tremble at hypotheticals, while the King of kings rules with calm, perfect precision, orchestrating His good and broader plans. Had Lazarus never fallen ill, everyone would have missed… (Isaiah 55:8-9)

The impossibility that only Jesus could solve. The display of His love. The recognition of Jesus as the Resurrection and Life. The experience of sorrow being turned to joy. And, as Jesus Himself foretold, God and His Son glorified in bringing about the miraculous visual aid of Jesus’s purpose on earth.

So, when we are dumbfounded at the bumpy turns in our lives, the impossibilities in hard relationships, the desolation and lack we imagine can never be filled, the conflict we imagine can never be resolved, look for Jesus’s love there. He is deeply and personally in our painful places. He brings us to more profound belief. He is near, and weeps with us. He opens our eyes to deeper truths. And He always brings new life, resurrection of heart and hope.

Jesus raised Lazarus back to life, and they were all able to love and rejoice and linger in person again. He would one day die again, but the glory, the life lessons, would remain. Jesus always does perfectly, righteously, and best. We may not understand or want to accept our circumstances, but in and through them He loves us and shows us facets of Himself we could not be familiar with otherwise. (John 11:38-44)

If He seems to be staying, withholding, not answering, would we look for how He loves us in the waiting? Would we discover His glory there? Would we choose to trust Him and His ways and ask for a richer understanding of the resurrection life?

Father, help me not only to trust Your steadfast love, but be eager and expectant about how You are glorified through that love in the world.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
    righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
    and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
    and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.
As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
    today I declare that I will restore to you double.” Zechariah 9:9-12

Our King comes, righteous and having salvation. Our King comes, humbly, and purposeful. The babe in a manger, the King on a donkey, comes to take the throne, bring peace, set captives free, and restore. Welcome Him! Return to the stronghold where He reigns and shelters and fights for us!

When the crowds welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem as He fulfilled this prophesy before His death, they got sucked into the hype of His promised kingdom but failed to understand the cross. Swirling in a vortex of emotional passion and worldly thinking, their devotion was short-lived. They eschewed the stability faith offered. (John 12:12-18,37)

The enticements of this world lure us from Jesus, too, promising a more sparkly kingdom. Tedium and sloth and self-pampering can slip us from spiritual purposefulness. Frenzy and doing pull us from the place of rest; antagonism, suspicion, regret, and resentment keep us distant from inner peace. We don’t like to admit it, but we clamor to follow the haughty beast of worldliness, unconsciously allowing ourselves to be enslaved by productivity, comparisons, and affirmation. We neglect, fail to enjoy, or even shun, the freedom from toil and approval Christ offers. (Revelation 13:3-7)

In all these ways we can dally away from the stronghold which is Christ, but the good news is, He comes! He enters our world of urgent and self-interest, of worldliness and inner battles, as humble King for us to receive. He is not distant or hidden, not impossible to reach or know. He plays no tricks, He requires no improvement or charms. Our stronghold is here. Christmas is our invitation to climb the ramparts once again, to return to the stronghold, the best place from which we can live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:27-28)

This holy season, this time of wonder and remembrance and looking forward, would we return to our stronghold from which we cannot be shaken, nor separated from Jesus and His love? (Psalm 61:2; Romans 8:31-39)

“Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth,
born to give us second birth.” ~Charles Wesley (1739)

Lord, captivate me with all You are and offer. May Christmas rejoicing be Christmas climbing into the stronghold that is You, Prince of Peace.

“And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest… Joash decided to restore the house of the Lord… So those who were engaged in the work labored, and… restored the house of God to its proper condition and strengthened it. And when they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made utensils for the house of the Lord, both for the service and for the burnt offerings… And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord regularly all the days of Jehoiada. But Jehoiada grew old and full of days, and died. He was 130 years old at his death…

“Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the Lord, and served the Asherim and the idols… [The Lord] sent prophets.., but they would not pay attention.  Then Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest said to them, ‘Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you…’ Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but killed his son.” 2 Chronicles 24:2,4,13-15,17-20,22

Joash was special from the start, hidden away during his mother’s horrendous massacre of the family, and raised by the priest Jehoiada and his wife. When he took the throne, the faithful priest guided him and the nation in righteousness, and he followed his lead. Until he didn’t. (2 Chronicles 22:10-12; 23:3,8-11,16)

While he did what was right, and demanded following God’s law, we read no mention of his following the Lord Himself. Once Jehoiada died, Joash aligned with the princes of Judah, and that became his downfall. It is never healthy to get too tied to individuals.

Following strong and good leaders is not necessarily wrong, but can be dangerous. A role model or mentor, a charismatic leader or favorite author, should never become a god. There is only one Savior, one Lord and true Master, to whom we should attach. We err when we invest too much admiration and fealty in an individual, a sinner like me, instead of the God they serve. (Romans 3:23)

Danger comes when we erect pedestals that we switch out when we choose. Instead of staying grounded, we are tossed to and fro by cultural or emotional swings. There is only One to follow, the Good Shepherd, who knows us by name and leads perfectly. (John 10:2-4; Ephesians 4:12-14; James 1:6)

Whom do we admire, quote, and want to emulate, and are we keeping them in right perspective? Do we latch onto, and garner favor from, only those who promote our way of thinking, but dismiss or ignore those who say what we don’t want to hear? Do we clamor with the crowds to the whims of popular influencers, but swap out allegiances when their popularity wanes, or our mood or desires or affections change? Beware the deceitful heart! (Jeremiah 17:9)

Does what we say and do point those we lead to Jesus and His word? Do we, even subconsciously, train our children to follow us rather than their God?

Lord, help me discern Your voice and follow You first, the One uniquely worthy of my surrender and allegiance. And may my following You be a draw for others to follow You too.

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
    he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice..;
a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
    he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
    till he has established justice in the earth…

“Thus says God, the Lord,
    who created the heavens and stretched them out,
    who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
    and spirit to those who walk in it:
‘I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
    I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
    a light for the nations,
    to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
    from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord; that is my name;
    my glory I give to no other,
    nor my praise to carved idols.
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
    and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
    I tell you of them.’” Isaiah 42:1-9

“And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus,.. he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

 ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace;
 for my eyes have seen your salvation
     that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and for glory to your people Israel.’” Luke 2:21-22,25-32

Compassion for our helpless estate brought Jesus to earth. When Christmas sprang forth, former promises and longings came to fruition. Christ came bearing justice as our ransom at the cross, light for revelation, hope and freedom, salvation to all who believe, and glory to God. When we welcome Him, His peace floods our souls. (John 3:16; 8:32; 1 John 1:9)

Celebrating Christmas, we can rejoice in all Jesus brought, and brings today. If we are His children, we sing with Simeon that we behold in the star, the manger, and the child in the temple, the Lord’s Christ, the living Salvation of God.

How will we be agents of His compassion? To whom will we proclaim ‘justice has been served on your behalf, you can see with eyes of faith, you can walk free’? With whom will we rejoice that Salvation has sprung forth, and we can enjoy its delights?

Lord, may the hope, joy, and consolation of Christmas spring forth in me, bring delight to You, and spread hope to Your people.

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed over him,’
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.” Psalm 13

“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
    and you will not hear?
Or cry to you ‘Violence!’
    and you will not save?” Habakkuk 1:2

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” Revelation 22:20-21

How long, Lord? Come deliver, come save, come heal, come comfort, come help, come redeem! All that was anticipated and hoped and longed for in the promised Immanuel came in the arrival of the Son of God. Not just in His birth, but in why He came and what He did: ransom us from captivity.

Captivity of sin, which grips us in a chokehold of weak necessity until He dominates as Victor. Captivity of despair in present malaise of meaning or shroud of despondence, as the Hope of Israel. Captivity of the overwhelm of a life-threatening disease or an empty future until the Savior makes all things new. Captivity of fear over this present darkness and the unknown, or financial insecurity or suffering to come, until the Lord speaks “Peace, be still”and calms the soul. Captivity of isolation and loneliness, until He dwells within as dearest comfort and heavenly friend. Immanuel Jesus swallowed “how long?” in victorious “now.” (Jeremiah 14:8; Matthew 8:23-27; John 14:16;16:33; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Revelation 21:5)

All these He accomplishes as our Ransom. He came to redeem all sin and its attending fall-out and misery and sadness and pain that weigh us down. He accomplished this as our unblemished, perfect Ransom and glorious Savior. His enough has satiated the verdict of our “condemned” and paid the penalty we deserve. (Isaiah 53:3-8; John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

“O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o’er the grave.

O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light.

 O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace.” ~Latin, 12th c, translated by J.M. Neale (1851)

Would we carry our every longing, our every “how long?” to the Ransom of our souls and leave them with Him? As we long, let us rejoice. He has heard our cry! Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel has come to thee!

My Savior, keep me rejoicing night and day at Your splendid, sufficient ransom for my soul. May my joy point the way of Your coming to and for others.

“Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years.  And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him. He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace. And he said to Judah, ‘Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.’ So they built and prospered. And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows…

“Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. And Asa cried to the Lord his God, ‘O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.’” 2 Chronicles 14:1-11

Asa’s aim was not peace, but purity, and with his thorough cleansing and redirecting of Judah to the LORD, they were blessed with peace. He stood as their leader in removing false gods and shrines, and in prudent building of defenses. He reinstituted proper worship as he secured their land from enemy attack. Peace is always a by-product of doing the right thing and being in a right relationship with God. But peace does not mean the absence of conflict. An army of a million is formidable indeed, but a stilled soul cries out and trusts even then. (2 Chronicles 15:2; Isaiah 9:6)

Peace is what we carry inside when the Lord is Lord of our souls. Peace is what we know when we humbly trust him to deliver, protect, convict, cleanse, and forgive. Peace comes in knowing whose we are and who goes before us. It is a gift like none other from Jesus, a flood and fortress when we turn our cares to Him. In Jesus alone can we sleep, no matter what we face, in heavenly peace. (John 14:27;16:33; Philippians 4:6-7)

“Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
‘Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.” ~Joseph Moore

What cleansing should I implement, what loves and priorities need adjusting, so Christ’s peace has sole sway?

LORD, keep my soul silent before You, marveling at Your incarnation and alert to Your doings from Your holy dwelling in this world. May Your peace rule me, fill me, and be the fruit of my days. (Zechariah 2:13; Galatians 5:22; Colossians 3:15)