Advent - Days 6 and 7

Day 6:  Prince of Peace

Can there be a more fitting way to come towards the end of the first week of Advent than to focus on the Prince of Peace!

For in Him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross. -Colossians 1:20

Much more on this next week...

Day 7:  Waiting for our Hope

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of The LORD, as the waters cover the sea. -Habakkuk 2:14

What beautiful words!  What a blessed promise to lead us into Week 2 of Advent where we'll focus on peace!  Future peace, but also peace right here, right now - in the midst of turmoil everywhere we turn.

I am reminded of these words, written by Ann Blocker as she was dying of breast cancer.  As would be natural, she had lots of concerns and fears, and she was struggling to give all this over to her Wonderful Counselor, her Mighty God and Everlasting Father, to her Prince of Peace.  It was as if He spoke these words into her soul, quieting the anxiety...

Can you trust me, child?

Not only for ultimate eternity, of which you know next to nothing, and so are not tempted to meddle...

But for the little span of your life between the Now and Then, where you envision decline and separations and failures, impairments, pain, bereavements, disappointments... 

Do you find me qualified to be Lord of your (last) days?

Ahhh!  There is the question!  I can trust that someday the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of The Lord, but can I trust that He has my today covered?  Is my hope not only steadfast for Eternity, but steadfast and strong for Now?  I do not have any life-threatening illness that I know of, but this question becomes ever more real as I march rapidly towards 60, and then 70...  As I march towards the very real possibility of future physical frailty, the very physical unknown...  Thirty-something seems like yesterday!!

Is the One who came and is coming qualified not only to be Lord of Eternity, but Lord of my everyday?  Peace will only come as I answer, "Yes, Lord!"  There is no other answer!

Looking to the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, I can wait with hope; and I can wait with peace...