"Hither by Thy Help I've Come"

The holidays come with a sigh. The end of this year marks the end of a heavy, full year for most of us. During this holiday season, peppered with Christmas parties, family get-togethers, and hoards of materialism and excess, we’re run ragged and left wondering if we can simply stop the ride and get off. We need peace more than ever.

In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, he spoke of the peace of God guarding their hearts and minds in Christ. Peace does not idly sit back, all meek and mild; instead, it plays a defensive role in our mental and spiritual well-being (we are, after all, called to “guard our hearts” [Proverbs 4:23] and called to a “sound mind” instead of fear [2 Timothy 1:7]).  It was this same peace that allowed Paul to require this suffering church to rejoice in their present trials. This peace, however, came from surrender and giving thanks: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Giving thanks grounds us. It grants us the perspective to see that we are not sufficient, but rather dependent. The act of thanks-giving is a form of surrender, saying, “I can’t, but You can. It opens our eyes to His consistent faithfulness and, figuratively speaking, allows us to raise our Ebenezer stone for others to view His faithfulness in our lives.

During this season of advent, my prayer is that we take on the mantle of prayer and take inventory of all that He has lavishly bestowed upon us.