We have snow in our forecast … a lot of snow … 8-12 inches of new snow.
The arrival of a heavy snowfall brings a certain quietness to all of nature. You step outside during a heavy snowfall and all of nature is still. Everything … still … and silent.
A deep hush falls over the world … as the silent snowflakes drift down.
Peace.
But not for us! … the arrival of snow brings stress!! … not peace. We have a job we need to get to! We have places to go! We have things to do! We don’t have time to get stuck in snow! We don’t have the bandwidth for yet more drama!!
We now have to leave extra early for work. In the icy cold darkness we trudge through the snow … boots on … to shovel our car out of the snow! Aaaarrrrggghhhh!
With freezing cold fingers, stressed and exhausted, we head out through the deep drifts of snow to try to make it to the plowed road. We will conquer this!
Our car slips. Our car slides all over the road … our tires spin. We add more gas! We will conquer this!
Our car gets stuck … and we add more gas! Our tires spin … and we add more gas!
The arrival of a deep heavy snowfall takes away all our control over life. It is SO frustrating! We are not in control. At all! … no matter how much “gas we add.”
Our tires spin … and we go nowhere.
The arrival of snow which brings such a peace to all of nature, only serves to highlight the lack of peace in our soul. Peace comes to nature because everything stops. But life won’t allow us to stop. There’s too much to do! Too many demands! Too much pressure! We can’t stop.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10
But God, I can’t be still! There’s too much! Everyone wants a piece of me!! It’s all just too much!!
“Be still, and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10
Peace will only come to our soul when we stop. When we surrender. When we quit “adding more gas!” … when we quit “spinning our tires!”
Only when we stop … and surrender to God … will peace come.
Surrender to God the fact that you aren’t in control.
Surrender … and submit to God who alone is in control.
Surrender to God that you can’t do it all. It’s simply too much. Surrender it to God … give all the burdens, all the fears, all the worries, all the anxiety to Him. He can handle it. Surrender it … hand it all over to Him.
Surrender to God that you can’t change that person. Only God can change a heart. Surrender that to Him, and trust Him.
The Christmas Season of Advent is filled with songs about “Peace.” Beautiful cards show up in the mail with words of “Peace.” Store decorations display Holiday banners with “Peace.”
But we don’t have peace.
We want peace. We really do.
How do we get peace??
Surrender.
Surrender to Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Stop … and just be still … and acknowledge that God is God! God is the one in control.
* Peace is a direct by-product of faith in God … believing that God is who He says He is.
* Peace is a direct by-product of trust … believing that God is faithful, and we can trust Him!
“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” – Isaiah 30:15
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.” – Psalm 23:1-2
