Praying for Peace

 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

I was thinking to jot down this scripture and leave it along with the picture.  My idea of what peace or peaceful looks like. But as I pondered this photo of a place unknown to me I thought about another place, a future place where peace is more than an idea but a promise.

O come, O come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here.

Christmas time is a season where you will often hear from folks how lonely a time it is.  Imagine being in exile.  Their sadness and subsequent mourning is for another time, another place.  It is for a time until the "Son of God appear" and then Rejoice! Rejoice!

O come, Thou rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan's tyranny.

Tyranny sounds like one of those old fashioned words rarely used in todays generation.  Unless you read or hear about war imposed upon a country where the inhabitants didn't ask for it but are a part of it nonetheless.   Then you understand in part, the act of tyranny.  The lines of this song speak about the rule of Satan in the lives of those living on earth. He represents all the darkness and the unsettled emotions of a world gone bad.  People held in place by a tyrannical leader. Peace is something that people talk about, wish for. For some it is peace that includes the absence of strife, the end of war, the end of hunger...the ending of many a thing. There is a long list and we long for peace from the power of tyranny.

Rejoice! Rejoice! for the coming of Emmanuel is the mark of victory o'er the grave.  O come thou key of David, come.

A key is a small object held in the hand in order to unlock a door.  In this case the one who holds that key is what is important for understanding peace and freedom from tyranny.  The world and those in places of power constantly talk about peace.  In the form of signed treaties or the absence of army presence.  But only God can guarantee "peace that passes all understanding".

I know how difficult it can be, hanging on a single thought and wishing for something different.  The reminder here is once again to shift my focus.  Simply telling someone to not worry or be afraid isn't always helpful unless there is a shift in focus. "O Come, O Come" is the prayer  sighed for something different.  The answer rings back, "peace I leave, peace I have given".

It is already ours for the taking.  Each corner that I come upon. Each anxious step into an unknown is covered by grace and peace.  This is what Christmas peace is all about.  Emmanuel, God with us.  If we are looking for someone who can sympathize with us, understand what we are going through then let's bring our focus back to the manger,  "for unto us a child is born".  Innocent is a word given to explain a freedom from guilt or sin or evil.  This newborn baby had already experienced his share of wrong in the world of which he came to. He would continue to grow up in a world chaotic and full of hurt and sadness just like the one we experience.  So when we say, God with us, Emmanuel,

We are not alone.