HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 14

 

DECEMBER 14, 2024



John 14:25-27

These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.




Did you notice that we are told that the Holy Spirit assists our memory, bringing to remembrance what Christ has said and done. The work of the Spirit of God has been likened to sitting next to your grandparents as they leaf through a photo album, narrating the past with each picture, unfolding your story, and reminding you of your identity. Rather than photos, however, the Holy Spirit uses promises, the promises of Jesus. Through the Spirit's work, we gain a deeper understanding of God as we listen to His words and recall that he has spoken his promises to us.

The Spirit brings peace. This isn’t peace like the world gives. This isn’t some moment of quiet or escape from the normal conflict of life. His peace is firm and lasting. This peace transcends all the conflict of life, surpassing understanding.  This peace is a gift: that embodies forgiveness and the mends relationships; it is a peace that dispels fear. Truth is this Biblical Peace represents what many long and search for during this season.

I have read that "if you want to find someone’s idol, you should follow their fears." Can I ask,  What do you fear? I wonder if we follow our fears, if we may uncover some idols. if we do that is Ok, that is the work of God's Spirit, it is a way the Spirit helps us. See the Holy Spirit casts out fear, our instinctual, frightened, here and now fear, and replaces it with the fear of God, which is faith. The Spirit ensures we are not held back by fear, for the Holy Spirit keeps us steadfast in Christ's embrace, an embrace that never falters, never fails us. This is the essence of peace.

Let's be real though, this doesn’t mean we never tremble or have late nights of fretting. Yet in these real moments, the Holy Spirit comes along side of us, as our helper and comforter and reminds us of God's good will toward us and that his promises are "Yes!" in Jesus Christ. 

May we find God where he’s promised to be; where he reveals himself in the advent of Christ. Remember what Christ has said and done. Take heart. Cling to Christ. Be taught. Be forgiven. Be renewed. Be at peace as your idols colapse and fall and the true God, by the Spirit, declares you his own, again and again. This is why Christ was born.

Lord Jesus, you have sent us your Spirit as you promised. Teach us all things and keep your person, words, and works always foremost in our memory, so that we live without fear and in peace.  Amen.

HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 13

 

December 13, 2024

 

Luke 12:32

Fear not, little flock, for it is your
Father’s good pleasure to
give you the kingdom.



When we read the Bible, we might think it tells us that fear is irrational. But such a notion couldn’t be further from the truth. The Scriptures repeatedly tell us not to fear exactly because there are so many reasons to be afraid. However, there is a lot of comfort for
us Jesus followers packed into the sixteen words Jesus speaks in Luke 12:32. 

Why shouldn’t you be afraid?

You have someone watching over you. You are part of the flock of God’s own sheep. You have Jesus, the Good Shepherd, leading, and tending you. He has given his life for you. He has overcome all that seeks to harm us. And when you stray or flee, he forsakes the ninety-nine to find you and return you to the fold.

You don’t need to be afraid.

You have a Father who loves you. He has promised that nothing can separate you from his love because of what Jesus has done for you. And he takes great pleasure in giving you all these good gifts. You don’t need to be afraid.

You have been gifted the kingdom of God. This isn’t just entrance into heaven. You have been given the kingdom itself. You have been given Jesus. He belongs to you, and you belong to him. This is God’s gift to the world. 

Is there much to fear in this world? Yes. But all of it has been "swallowed up" in the good gifts of God’s promises.

What an indescribable GIFT!!

HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 12

DECEMBER 12, 2024

Luke 2:14

Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on
whom his favor rests.

The first and earliest mention of God's "good will or good pleasure" in Luke's gospel was on the night Jesus was born, when “a multitude of the heavenly host” praised God and sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).

Those who heard the song were not the high and mighty but the humble and lowly: shepherds. This is not because the lowly of this world are especially deserving of God’s good pleasure. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Rather, I believe they are singled out because God’s way of working in this world is to bring all of us low, to diminish us, to empty us of ourselves, that we might receive in humble faith his good pleasure toward us in his Son, who fills us and enriches us with himself. John the Baptist put it well, I must decrease that he might increase." As the mother of Jesus sang, “He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate” (Luke 1:52).


“Glory to God in the highest heaven,” the angels sang, for he alone is worthy of glory.

And how does God show his glory? In sending His favor and goodwill, the Father's glory from the highest heavens comes down to earth through Jesus, a flesh-and-blood baby born into humble conditions, to grant us peace. Peace in Jesus is not simply the absence of conflict or fear, but the fullness of love. This fullness of love fills us when we are brought down from our mighty thrones and emptied of self. The fullness of love, the Bible talks about draws us into the life of God so that we might be the children of God. 

The good pleasure, the favor of our God, rests upon us as we rest in Jesus, born for us that we might be reborn in him; this is true peace.

So, today we hear the invitation “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29)

HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 11

 

December 11, 2024

Luke 1:67-79

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”



Zechariah had been unable to speak the entire time his wife, Elizabeth, was pregnant. The angel Gabriel had "zipped his lips shut" for disbelieving the good news that his elderly wife would conceive (Luke 1:20). After more than forty weeks of silence, Zechariah’s
mouth finally opened, and he was able to speak again, and he blessed God with a Spirit-inspired song traditionally called the Benedictus. The message of the song is this: All that God promised in the Old Testament is now being fulfilled.

The Lord promised David that he would raise up a son after him who would reign over an everlasting kingdom (2 Sam. 7:12-16). Zechariah sings that God “has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David” (Luke 1:69). Promise fulfilled.

Through prophet after prophet, the Lord promised to come to his people and save them. Zechariah blesses “the Lord God of Israel for he has visited and redeemed his people…that we should

be saved from our enemies” (Luke 1:68, 71). Promise fulfilled. 

Already in Genesis, God had given his word to Abraham that in his seed, “all the nations of the earth [would] be blessed” (Gen. 22:18).Zechariah sings that God is now showing the mercy he promised to our fathers, remembering his covenant and the oath he swore to our father Abraham (Luke1:72-73). Once more, promise fulfilled.

The fulfillment of all these promises comes in Jesus, whom John, the son of Zechariah, would announce as he goes “before the Lord to prepare his ways” (vs. 76). In Christ, we are “delivered from the hand of our enemies” that we “might serve him without fear” (vs. 74).

Those two words, “without fear,” signal a profound shift, for the threatening fears that encircle human life.  All fears, cower and retreat before Christ the Lord, our Lord. In him, we are safe. Whatever this world throws at us can do us no everlasting harm since we are in him who is life, forgiveness, and love manifested. All of God’s promises are not only yes in him (2 Cor. 1:20), but yes for us!

HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 10

 

 

December 10, 2024

 

Mark 6:49-51

But when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said,“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded.

 

The story of Jesus walking on water would serve as an excellent opening to any suspence movie, don't you think? Think about it for a moment: the disciples are fighting strong winds as they try to make their way across the Sea of Galilee. Out of the darkness, they see something, moving above the water toward them. Not hovering, not gliding, not floating, but walking on a surface that should not be able to bear any weight. The only conceivable conclusion is that what is approaching is a spirit, a ghost, something or someone not human. And this unknown being is heading straight for them. I guess given all these details about this experience, terrified really is the only appropriate response.

Indeed, the disciples are experiencing something profoundly supernatural. The figure they initially perceive as a ghost is not only divine but also fully human.

And yet, the disciples know this God-man, Jesus. Jesus, who is both their God and their friend. It is true, they have already seen him perform miracles of healing, but they have also seen him eat and drink and do the things we all do. They know he was born in a small town to an ordinary couple. They’ve heard his voice teach, drive out demons, and forgive sins. They know his voice. And they trust his words because what he proclaims is truth.

It’s Jesus’ voice, his proclamation of who he is, that calms the disciples’ fears. Do you know what? His voice still speaks today as he comes to us in the most astounding ways. Jesus loves nothing more than to continue to announce himself to us: “Take heart. It is I. Do not be afraid.” Jesus speaks to calm our fears and give us the truth that we know him and we also know we are his.

In moments of uncertainty, fear, or the unknown, listen closely and we will hear the comforting voice of God and our friend, Jesus saying "Take heart. It is I".

HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 9

 

DECEMBER 9, 2024

 

Mark 5:36

But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”

 

Sometimes, Jesus says things that are best described as simply impossible. Simple words to say but impossible to do. A ruler of the synagogue’s daughter has been declared dead, and Jesus tells him not to be afraid, only to believe. How could anyone do this?

One thing that stands out about the ministry of Jesus, perhaps you have noticed this, is how little power he gives to death. He almost never even refers to it as death unless he is speaking of his own death on the cross. Jesus’ go-to name for death is sleep. We see that in our story today, as he finds people weeping and wailing over the death of this man’s daughter Jesus says to them:

“Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping” (Mark 5:39).

We have been thinking in this series that the opposite of fear is peace, but many times, Jesus contrasts fear with faith. This is because true Biblical peace is born out of faith in Christ. Without faith in Jesus, there is no peace. “Do not fear, only believe” are Jesus words to this grieving father.

This is not a command to replace fear with a faith we have created in ourselves. Jesus knows we can’t do that. So, instead, he speaks faith into the hearts of his fearful creation. Notice Jesus doesn’t wait for the weepers and mourners to believe before he raises this little girl from the dead (after all, we are told that those hearing these words from Jesus laughed at him); instead, he does it in the presence of fear and doubt.

“Taking her by the hand he said to her, ‘Talitha cumi,’ which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise.’ And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement” (Mark 5:41-42).

Here we see that Jesus overturns death with a word. Fear has now been replaced by faith, and where there is faith, there is peace. Do not fear; only believe. Simple to say but impossible to do. Agreed?

The good news is Jesus is Lord of the impossible. Jesus arrival, his coming, his Advent, in a world marred by sin, confusion, disorder and fear instills faith and peace in hearts that lack both. On the day of his second Advent, he will take us by the hand and say, "Talitha cumi!!" "Child of God, ARISE."

What a day that will be!!

HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 8

 

December 8, 2024

 

Matthew 17:6-8

When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

 

The apostles had seen many things in their time with Jesus: the blind given sight, the deaf given hearing, the dead given life, and more. Today, though, they had the most splendid sight of all: only Jesus. When they were overcome with fear at the sight of the transfigured Lord, Jesus calmed them with his words. Then they saw the Jesus they had walked, talked, and eaten with. They saw the Jesus they knew well who was fully human, and yet not like the rest of them. They saw Jesus and only him.

It’s hard to see Jesus in this life, let alone only Jesus. There is just so much to hear and see. And yet, the most blessed thing of all is to see Jesus and to see Jesus only. And that happens solely when he calms us with his words. And so we do well to open our ears and to focus our eyes. And when we see Jesus only, we see everything else rightly again. We see a world given to us in Christ; we see Christ in our neighbor; we see Christ as our beginning, our present, and our end.

Jesus is not just "only"; He is everything! In our deepest fears, confusion, and distractions, it is Jesus who can direct our gaze towards Himself and offer words of comfort, for His voice is still heard today. He is the Savior, foretold by prophets, born in Bethlehem, and it is because He came for us that we can "stand up and fear not."

HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 7

 

December 7, 2024

Matthew 8:26

And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.



The storm must have been fierce. The seasoned fishermen, who thought they knew the waters intimately, were caught off guard. As evening fell, the notorious sharkia winds of Galilee descended, overpowering their boat. Tossed by the waves, the disciples' are filled with fear.

“Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (v. 25).

Jesus’ response to his disciples’ fears was immediate: “And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then Jesus stood up and "rebuked" the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” What strikes me about this event is that the disciples were saved not because of their great faith but despite their lack of it. In reality, it was at their most desperate moment that help came. Jesus words, as always, were reliable and more powerful than their worries. Jesus told the wind and the waves to "shut up", (at least that is the meaning of the greek word here) banishing their fears with his authoritative word. The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

Advent signifies the time when God sent his son, the manger-born king to deliver us from despair, even in our darkest moments. The Word incarnate (John 1:14) arrived at the darkest point of night, when all hope appeared gone: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned" (Isaiah 9:2).

Jesus casts out the night in and around us, and through God's promise being fulfilled, we are held "in the grip of his grace", we are freed from fear and despair. "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:4-5)

Thanks be to God!

HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 6

 

December 6, 2024

Isaiah 26:3

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.



It seems that peace is a short lived experience in life. Each day, we are faced with events and circumstances that contradict the notion that everything is right, all is well. Don't you find that peace is here one moment and gone the next? Peace feels neither perfect nor long lasting.

How, then, can we ever have perfect peace?

To understand what the Prophet Isaiah is saying in 26:3, you must go back to chapter 25, verses 8 and 9: “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us” (Isa. 25:8-9).


We need to notice that the perfect peace Isaiah is talking about comes from outside of us. It comes from hearing the promise that God has swallowed up death, taken away all our sins, and saved us. It is a "gospel peace". It is a grace gift given to us. 

This peace does not hide itself when life is hard 

This peace does not hide itself when temptation wins. 

This peace has promised never to leave or forsake you. 

This peace is a person. 

This peace was born in Bethlehem. 

This peace is Jesus Christ, the perfect one, and your perfect peace.

LET US PRAY

God,
thank you for the peace that comes only from the work
of your Son and help me to trust in all that you have
promised me in him. Amen

HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 5

 December 5, 2024

 

Isaiah 9:6-7     

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

 

WOW, the prophet Isaiah compresses a profound message of boundless hope for the world within just a couple of verses. 

The hope of peace? Yes. 

The hope of conquering fear? Yes. 

The hope of justice and righteousness? Yes. 

This hope of all people, of all times, everywhere is riding on the shoulders of a single person, well child.  All eyes are on a child, a Son, who is born for us and given the name Jesus.

He is a Wonderful Counselor who, even as a twelve-year-old, amazed the teachers of the law with this understanding. (Luke 2:47) He is the Mighty God, fully divine with his Father, who “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:7). He is the Everlasting Father in that he, with a father's love, beckons us to come to him, to receive from him compassion, forgiveness, and a place in the family of God. He is the Prince of Peace, who gives us peace “not as the world gives” (John 14:27), but a peace that “surpasses all understanding,” which guards our hearts and minds against all assaults from forces of evil (Phil. 4:8).

Isaiah says this is a royal child who will sit “on the throne of David,” a fact confirmed when the angel Gabriel said to Mary that her child “will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David” (Luke 1:32-33). Gabriel adds, “Of his kingdom there will be no end” (1:33), echoing what Isaiah had already said, “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end” (Isa. 9:7).

In Christ, we are made children of this kingdom. He reigns over us in love. His throne is one of grace. All our hopes are in him, and in him, all our hopes are certain.

HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 4

 

December 4, 2024

 

Isaiah 8:12-13 

Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy.  Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

 

 

The goal of the Christian life is not to live fearlessly.

Rather, it is to have the right kind of fear.

It deeply troubles me, probably you too, that we live in a world of widespread fear. Everywhere we look, we read, or we hear people crying, “The sky is falling".  Have you found this unsettling? In politics, for example, candidates tell us that the universe will come crashing down if you elect their opponent that they are the only hope of holding things together. Fear is everywhere: fear of judgment, fear of death, fear of failure, fear of war, fear of environmental disaster, fear of the past, fear of the future, fear of rejection. 

You add to the list . . . .

Choose faith over fear is often the Christian response to this dread and angst. That seems rather simple, doesn’t it? Yet there is problem, as I see it, left to our own devices we seem to lean into fear more than into faith. Perhaps there is a reason some form of “Fear Not” is one of the most common phrases in all of Scripture. So, if faith over fear is not the answer, not the solution what is?

These rather interesting words from the prophet Isaiah speak profoundly to all this, “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy; he is the one you are to fear…” (Isa. 8:12-13a). Remember, the fear of the Lord" in the Bible speaks of awe and wonder of who God is, "Holy Awe", I call it. Now do you hear the message in Isaiah 8? God is reassuring his prophet that the fears infecting the people hold no staying power because God is bigger and stronger than them.

Furthermore, in Jesus Christ, who Matthew's Gospel says, "bound the strong man" (Matt. 12:29), God has demonstrated his solidarity with us. He is for us, and “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31b).

HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 3

 

 December 3, 2024

Psalm 112:6-8

For the righteous will never be moved; he will be  remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

 

Psalm 112 can’t properly be understood apart from Psalm 111.

Psalm 111 is about God’s faithfulness. The reformer Martin Luther cherished it and encouraged Christians to do the same. God is a God of his word. He will do what he says. His promise is certain. This is the foundation on which Psalm 112 builds.

Psalm 112 shifts our focus. It tells us about the person who trusts in God, who knows and believes that God is a promise keeper. This, person says Psalm 112,  is blessed. There is nothing that compares to the fulfillment of God's promises. You see the Advent/Christmas season teaches us that all God's promises are fully realized in His incarnate Son, Jesus, who was born of a virgin and lived, died, and was resurrected for us. I believe that's what the Apostle Paul meant by

For no matter how many promises God has made,
they are “Yes” in Christ.
And so through him 

the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

The promise of God, Jesus, is firm and unwavering , and therfore, so is the person who places their trust in Him.

“In the end, it will all be good. And if it isn’t good, it isn’t the end,” this phrase catches the spirit of our verses from Psalm 112. Through trust in the God who is "the same yesterday, today and forever", the God who is a promise fulfiller from start to finish, who is unmoved and unchanging concerning what he has promised, We "the righteous" of Psalm 112, are unmoved as well. We are steady. And we will triumph in the end, because we are God’s and God's victory, is our victory in the end. Psalm 112 emphasizes something that brings us strength and comfort, God never forgets, he loves to remember the righteous, and so the righteous are never forgotten.

Our God is the God of Psalm 111. Psalm 112 describes you and me because it describes Christ, in whom our life is hidden through faith, in whom we now have life and live. As one writer put it, "The goal is not to make Psalm 112 true of you. The point is to realize Psalm 112 is already true of you. We don’t actualize these words. We get used to them." Amazing Grace isn't it!

So be encouraged today. Know your God. Know that he remembers you. He graciously sees you, and in him our heart is steady; we will not be afraid. With the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 15:57 we say "thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Amen

HIS GOSPEL IS PEACE DAY 2

 

 December 2, 2024

 

Psalm 46:1-3 

God is our refuge and strength, a very-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way, Though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling

 

As we pass through the various stages of life, the phrase, “You are in trouble,” carries a different meaning. As children, we fear being “in trouble” with our parents or maybe a teacher. If you were anything like me, getting “in trouble” was an ongoing temptation during my teen years. Then, into our twenties, thirties, forties, and beyond, being “in trouble” can mean a lengthy list of  unwelcome experiences in which trouble is a very present reality.

What we require daily, and with a measure of urgency, is a "very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1). In the Hebrew of the Old Testament Psalm 46:1 suggests: "a help in tight times is abundantly available." Truth is, during challenging moments, when we feel surrounded by difficulties, in tight times, times of trouble, we seek help, don't we? This help, according to the psalm, is found in "God [who] is our refuge and strength" (Psalm 46:1).

But we have a little difficulty with this. God is not really “the Answer” we are looking for. What we look for is for God to provide us with a stategy, a to-do list would be nice, right? Give us  something, anything that we can do to deal with our difficult issues of life. Some action steps. But here in our reading there isn't anything like that. The psalmist simply says,  "God is our refuge. God is our strength.”

Advent reminds us that God's strength comes to us as a humble baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes. His refuge is given to us in his weakness.

It is only in Christ alone, the refuge of those in a tight spot, the strength of the weary "whose forms are bending low", that we can say, “Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its surging” (46:2-3). The Psalm suggests that we will not fear when the waters are turbulent, unstable and rough, because of who is with us. When it feels like the roarimg and foaming waters are closing in, the outstretched arms, of God with us, on the cross stops them. When we are full of trembling, aprehensive and anxious inside and outside, the empty tomb of our risen Lord of life bolding declares to us that no matter what, in Jesus, who came to us and who we now wait for to come again, all is well and all shall be well.

Because Jesus is our mighty fortress, as the EHV puts it we have “a helper who can always be found in times of trouble”. That's good news isn't it. Rather than fear, anxiety, and worry, driving our life, we can stand and lift up our heads because we are the beloved children of God, who  is our refuge and strength, a very-present help in trouble.

Thanks be to God!

God, 

when trouble seeks to overwhelm us, send your Spirit

to carry us to Christ, our refuge and strength. Amen