Day 4: Promise of peace
Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our Apostle and High Priest (Hebrews 3:1).
O Triune God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit— the God of hope, joy, and peace, we come before Your throne today by Your kind and gracious invitation (Hebrews 4:16).
You know the longings of our hearts, the sighing of our souls (Psalm 38:9). You understand our deep yearning for peace and rest, calm and quiet, comfort and escape (Psalm 55:6). For You are our great High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ, who knows firsthand the toll and the strain of this life— the brokenness, disease, death, and destruction.
You know how easy it is for us to grow weary and anxious, to lose hope and vision, to succumb to fear and despair. But You have prepared us for the ills of this world with the words of truth and comfort from our Savior, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Furthermore, Lord, You have shown us the beginning and the end of the human story, to give us peace and perspective as we live through the middle— through the twists and turns of chaos and confusion, turmoil and upheaval, darkness and disorder. For You have shown us that You hold every thread, every cord, every strand, and You weave them all for and according to Your good purpose.
God of the ages, fill us with hope, joy, peace, and patient endurance as we grasp the staggering truth that we share in the heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1). Help us to rest in that knowledge, fixing our thoughts on Jesus.
And even in the morbid details of this broken life, remind us of Your promise of peace, "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 14:27).
Commentaires