Read
Isaiah 26:3-12
You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
He humbles those who dwell on high,
he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground
and casts it down to the dust.
Feet trample it down—
the feet of the oppressed,
the footsteps of the poor.
The path of the righteous is level;
you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.
Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,
we wait for you;
your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts.
My soul yearns for you in the night;
in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.
But when grace is shown to the wicked,
they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil
and do not regard the majesty of the Lord.
Lord, your hand is lifted high,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame;
let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.
Lord, you establish peace for us;
all that we have accomplished you have done for us.
Reflect
Peace can feel surprisingly elusive in this season when we celebrate the first coming of the Prince of Peace and anticipate his return. Yet this passage tells us how to find peace. We keep our minds steadfastly fixed on the LORD. We trust him. Knowing that he is eternal (the same yesterday, today and forever) is a great comfort and source of peace. Trusting that he humbles the proud but smooths the path of the righteous frees us from chasing peace and allows us to simply receive it as the gift God intends. He will establish peace for us and is himself our peace. We don’t really accomplish anything it is all done for us by the God of Peace.
Prayer
Lord, fix our minds on you that we might experience your perfect peace even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of this season. Remind us that you have it all under control and are working it for our good. We yearn for you Lord both night and day so come quickly Lord, come quickly. Amen.
Sing
O Come, O Come Immanuel
O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go. Refrain
O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain
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. Refrain
O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death’s abode. Refrain
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. Refrain
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. Refrain
Jon, Pam, Ian, and Eric Heeringa