Christmas Devotional 8: Peace Which Makes No Sense
Luke 2:13-14a; Philippians 4:7
You never imagined having a Christmas invaded by cancer, and yet here you are. When you were diagnosed, they told you how long the treatments would last, but maybe you didn’t realize that you’d be dealing with the mess of cancer past Thanksgiving, through Christmas and even into the New Year. I bet you are ready to just be done.
The holidays are always busy with shopping, cooking and such. You might think at times how you used to grumble about these things every year. This year, dealing with the cancer might make it hard to even remember that it’s Christmas. Maybe you’ve had Christmases as a child buzzing with excitement, or as a young person seeing romance at every turn or as a parent caught up in the joy of your kids. Some Christmases are easier to get caught up in the wonder of the season.
But this year, cancer is in the way. Instead of making lists of gifts to buy or people to see, you’re staring at your calendar filled with medical appointments. Ugh.
You need some peace. Some good ole’ fashioned Christmas peace.
On the night Jesus was born, there was a bunch of shepherds on the hills around the small town of Bethlehem watching their sheep, when an angel appeared and told them where to find the baby who is the Savior of the World. If that wasn’t enough to blow their minds, then…
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace…” Luke 2:13-14a
Look at the verses above to answer these questions:
• Circle the word company. This is not talking about a company like Apple or Google. It’s talking about an army company. The Amplified version of the Bible calls them an “angel army.” How awesome is THAT!
• Who are they praising? __________________________________________
• What did they say is on earth? _________________________________________________________________
This must be some kind of peace! Jesus, the Savior of the World, is born and an angel army appears before these shepherds shouting about what God has done- He has given mankind a gift- His son Jesus.
So, let’s think about this peace, this Christmas peace. Is this something that was only available one night only? Kind of like a special deal for the Son of God’s birthday? Or, is this peace something available to each of us to push back the dark stuff that can come in our life- stuff like cancer?
The Greek word for peace that the angels use in the book of Luke is the same word the Apostle Paul uses in the book of Philippians when he says:
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
What does the peace of God do? ________________________________ all ____________________________________________________. What will the peace of God guard? Your _________________________ and ____________________________________________________.
Transcending understanding means that you will experience this peace at times that it does not make any sense for you to be experiencing peace.
Cancer has lots of situations when there is nothing peaceful about the situation, AND YET God brings you peace.
Place an X next to any time you too have felt God’s peace on your cancer journey.
___ God’s peace despite a positive biopsy.
___ God’s peace despite a scan tomorrow.
___ God’s peace despite your kids treating you like a child.
___ God’s peace despite your body feeling worse.
___ God’s peace despite your caregiver hiding their fear.
___ God’s peace despite a medication not working.
___ God’s peace despite a loved one ignoring you.
___ God’s peace despite a doctor with bad news.
___ God’s peace despite the continuous waiting and not knowing.
___ God’s peace despite the worry about if the cancer is back.
Other: God’s peace despite ________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________
Other: God’s peace despite ________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________
Other: God’s peace despite ________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________
But, look at the rest of the verse again:
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
The peace of God will guard your heart and your mind. In the Bible there are words that are symbolic for bigger meanings, like the words “heart” and “mind.”
Heart = feelings
Mind = thoughts
As you are dealing with the struggles of cancer, does it ever feel like your feelings and your thoughts can get out of control? Wouldn’t it be nice to have God send some peace that can guard your thoughts and your feelings so that they do not run rampant?
Let’s end this time today by lifting up a prayer asking for this peace that we cannot understand, but need so very much.
Complete the prayer below:
God, you know. You know where each cancer cell is in my body. You know of my fatigue and my aches. You know my worries and concerns. So Lord, please shower me in Your peace, so that I may feel calm even though cancer is hard. Guard my feelings and my thoughts so that I can think clearly, care for others clearly and see You clearly. Here are the worries I place before You so You may cover them in Your peace: _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________
In Your precious son Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN