DAY 19 CHRISTMAS GOOD NEWS: PEACE AMIDST THE WHYS

Where is your life headed? Why did you have to change schools? Why are your parents not talking to each other? Why doesn't your sibling care about you? Why did your loved one die? Why won't God answer your prayers?

Meet Confusion. He doesn't understand many things. He wonders why he has problems or why things don't work out the way he wants them to.

Paul didn't want his friends to be anxious about anything so he encouraged them to pray about things they didn't understand. There is a kind of peace that God gives when you pray to Him. It's peace that goes beyond all understanding. It's peace that assures you that God is in control even if you don't fully know the answers to your questions.

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:7)

This is an excerpt from Slaying the Joy-Snatchers by Justine Hail available at OMF Lit Bookshops, shop.omflit.com, Shopee, and Lazada.

We now hear Christmas carols played on every corner. We sing along and mumble: Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. However, being accompanied by a slew of concerns, peace may seem elusive to some of us. Many of us are consumed with thoughts and questions that keep us occupied that we overlook God's daily mercies. 

Many things threaten our peace, but as we keep our eyes on Jesus, we become secure in Him and His work in us. Our past may haunt us, and the future may fill us with fear.  But as an old saying goes, "I may not know what tomorrow may bring, but I know Who holds tomorrow." Jesus brings us peace because He Himself is peace (Isaiah 9:6). May His presence indeed guard our hearts and minds amidst our whys this season and always.