The Strength of Peace & Love be Upon You!

When we hear the words "peace" and "love," they usually aren't connected with "strength." Instead, they are connected with 'joy' or something else. Strength? It seems like an odd connection. But my Bible verses for today seem to speak to me of just that connection. Peace and love can be powerful forces in bringing strength.

At difficult times of the year, of the semester, of our lives... we look for strength. And the peace and love that the Lord provides may just be the key to the strength we need.

Strength in Peace

¹⁵ While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. ¹⁶ Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. ¹⁷ How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”

¹⁸ Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. ¹⁹ “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”

When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.” ~Daniel 10:15-19

After having a troubling vision of the end times, God sent the angel Gabriel to Daniel to comfort and explain the vision further to him. But when he saw the angel, Daniel was only further thrown into "anguish" as the Bible reads. He was a nervous wreck... filled with anxiety and fear, which had very physical effects on him, making him feel "very weak." The angel touched Daniel, and said, "Peace! Be strong now; be strong." In giving Daniel a sense of peace, the Lord gave Daniel strength to listen and understand all that God had to say to him.

At this 'most wonderful time of the year', I feel that many of us experience feelings other than peace. Whether you're a student stressed about work, a parent worried about holiday preparations, a kid frantic to get out of school, or even a pastor worrying about how to give another Christmas sermon... feelings of anxiety, worry and nervousness easily creep up into the most Daniel-like of us. But that's not something to get further worried about. Though God may not send us an angel to stand before us and touch our shoulder, the Holy Spirit is here all around us to give us peace, and thereby give us strength. He waits patiently, watching us run around and cry stress-filled tears, hoping that we will pray and 'lift our eyes to the hills, where our help comes from.'

I know that I'm particularly susceptible to this. At one minute, it seems like everything's ok. I'll get it all done. The next minute, there are too many things buzzing through my brain- the Christmas program, submitting proposals to conferences, grading sets of papers, answering student grade questions, planning our trip back East, and finally... writing papers, the time-consuming work I ultimately enjoy. Yes, I can over-empathize with 'being overcome with anguish' at this time of the year. And this type of worry weakens us mentally and physically. So I know that in the business, I must make time for the peace... calling out to God for the strength that He longs to give me through His "shalom."

Strength in Love

⁵ Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. ⁶ They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. ⁷ It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. ⁸ We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. ~3 John 1:5-8

John in this passage is talking about another kind of strength, the strength of 'love for one another' which he refers to so often in his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Johns. Brothers and sisters in Christ had gone to visit and were welcomed, even as strangers, into the homes of those in a far away town. They were treated with hospitality and love that encouraged and strengthened them in their work. As Christ works through us, we can bring strength through love to those around us. And when Christ works through others, the strength it gives us is unmistakable.

In fact, I've felt it very recently. Brad and I are driving out to PA this holiday season, and we are going to make it almost entirely "the Brethren way" which means stopping at friends' homes. Their hospitality, even last minute, of taking us in is so humbling and beautiful and encouraging. It'll be so wonderful to see our friends, and I'm so thankful to have so many that we can meet up with on the way.

And last night, when I was feeling overwhelmed and lonely, my cousin and friend Emily called me up out of the blue to talk for a while. It was so good to hear how she was doing and to rejoice with her in their joys as she did with me. Though it may not seem like much, it meant the world to me last night, and I'm sure that she had opened herself up to God, so that He would work through her. And her love did so much to strengthen my soul.

This morning I have much to be thankful for, especially the strength God gives me when I call upon Him, through the grace I feel touching my soul as well as the amazingly sweet love of my brothers and sisters in Christ.