December 20, 2023
I think most of us find the angelic song, “Peace on earth good will to men”, which they sang over the hills surrounding Bethlehem a bit of an unrealizable hope in these troubled days. It seems that chaos on earth has eclipsed the heavenly choir’s rejoicing at our saviour’s birth. Wherever we look we see and hear about wars, earthquakes, volcanos, environmental crises, sexual assaults, governmental dysfunctions, economic meltdowns, and social dislocations, to name a few.
Peace seems to have fled the scene. And yet…
History teaches us that any era, let alone a year, decade, or a day are mere blips in the story of our world- the wink of an eye as it were. And we know from scripture that the Lord who is omniscient, provident, and sovereign is very present regardless of our relative peace or the lack thereof. The old hymn comes to mind, “O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come…”. We trust Him. Our hope is not in human frailty and trouble but in our loving Father who “knows the end from the beginning”.
Let’s keep our eyes on the end game, “the Day of the Lord”, when all will become clear. There is everlasting peace awaiting us because the Prince of Peace has come.
Jim Kielma
This is true and so easy to understand. Why do we misunderstand and try to put things in our way of time and thinking?