Have you ever noticed that the Lord will walk you down a path until you turn to Him. It’s as if He will disturb your soul until you return to Him. This life, with all of its distractions, tends to pull us in any direction but toward His face. Have you ever noticed being blessed and having peace are like two hands that fit into one another. For many years, pastors all over the world have used something that is called the Aaronic blessing to speak blessing over people. It is profound, simple, and beautiful.

God told Moses to speak this to Aaron and tell him this is what you are to speak over Israel:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁵ the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
²⁶ the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. – Numbers 6:24-26

Notice that God, Himself, is the source of peace.

For a good portion of this year, I really struggled to have peace in my inner man. My mind was always racing, my heart was often pounding, my shoulders where tight and high up toward my ears, my soul was disturbed. Because my soul was so disturbed, I often resorted to cancelling out the noise. Which means less conversation, less time with people, more time in my own world in my earbuds with hand picked music or podcasts. Everything was an interruption and it was grating on my every last nerve. We often do whatever we can to mitigate what is uncomfortable in our lives. Pulling into ourselves to conserve. Putting up roadblocks to people we see as causing chaos around us. Yet, the truth is, if I am disturbed on the inside – that is in me and something I must deal with – and I think that is the point. The Lord will shake our world until we turn and return to Him, who is our peace.

Pastor Chad said on Sunday, “If you don’t have peace, go back to where Jesus is.” We don’t get out of going through, to grow through, what we go through.

Answer these questions:

What part of your life would you currently describe as having an absence of peace?

For me, I know that I am not walking in peace when my inner world is screaming at me all the time. I recently walked through a very loud season. But this week, has been more quiet than most of the rest of this year. I hear productive chatter and quiet curiosity instead of constant complaining and frustration.

Read Isaiah 26:3-4. What step do you need to take in your current absence of peace to keep your mind “stayed on Jesus”?

For me, Praying and asking the Lord for help. Asking Him to turn on the light. Repenting when anything comes up that I sense conviction about and journaling through it all. Then talking to someone I trust and know that loves me, also helps me. Sometimes in my pain and fear I can’t see what is haunting me. Having an outside observer who can listen to my words and ask me questions that help me see what’s actually there is so helpful. Then walking through the unpacking process and the de-cluttering process in my soul.

If you feel stuck, like nothing ever changes, and things around you are boring and so routinized that you don’t even give life a thought anymore?? It may be time for a soul – rearrange. This life will corrupt us and keep us locked in old ways. Its time for a clean up on aisle 4. It’s time to de-clutter and return to the One who is our source of peace.

put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24

May The Lord bless you and keep you; May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

See ya next week as we move into our next Advent theme: JOY

All is grace,

Starla