For unto us, a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 6:9

A close friend of mine is in the midst of a fierce trial, and while looking for scripture or words to comfort her last week, I came across an Ann Voskamp quote that I had saved in my phone notes years ago: “Peace isn’t a place; Peace is always a person.” In the days that have followed, I’ve continued to meditate on this statement in light of the birth of that Peace. When the angels were announcing “peace on earth” to the shepherds, it wasn’t that they were heralding a situational peace, but instead were proclaiming that the Prince of Peace was now here on earth!  I think sometimes we miss that point…or at least I do…and see peace as merely something God gives. While it is something He gives, even more so, it is something He is. The birth of Christ didn’t simply bring peace; the birth of Christ was the birth of peace!

I find it ironic and tragic that as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, most of us are often filled with anxiety. When I’ve considered the drivers of holiday-related stress in my own life, I’ve narrowed it primarily down to things that distract me from the simple celebration of the birth of Christ. Gift-giving to others is something I greatly enjoy, but it also becomes a thief of my time and preoccupation of my thoughts all too easily this time of year. Each year, I always seem to find myself striving as part of the socially expected holiday consumerism far more than I am abiding. I am distracted by the focus on the presents and miss the greater gift of time spent in God’s presence.

Some of you can likely identify with this. In fact, my guess is that most of you can. Surely, I am not the only one! But I know for some of you the holidays involve a much deeper anxiety. Some of you may be entering this season with a fresh loss…or even an old loss that still feels so painful. Or perhaps you or someone you love is battling a serious health condition. Christmas just isn’t the same this year. Many of you are likely in a season of wait…waiting for the end to your singleness because Christmas seems so lonely when you are alone or waiting through child-bearing difficulties as others joyfully buy gifts for their little ones and you are childless. Perhaps you are waiting for changes in the husband you do have or waiting on a child you do have to change and the Hallmark channel is just a deep reminder of what you lack. We endure many other waits as humans, and sometimes, the holidays just magnify them.

But regardless of whether you are caught up in the trivial anxiety of holiday busyness or a heart-breaking colossal trial, both great and small anxieties have the same thing in common. They all distract us from the presence of Christ. And when we are not spending time with Him, anxieties can easily attach to us because His presence is the only real antidote to stress.

How can we experience more of God’s presence this time of year? The first key is to remember that He is always with us. We should regularly pause and meditate on the wonderful truth that through His birth, we are given the incredible gift of His presence. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”) Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23. He alone is our peace, and we have access to this peace every moment of every day because He is with us as a result of His birth. And not just the general omnipresence of God being present in the world, but instead an intimate presence within us as a result of His birth and subsequent resurrection. God so loved us that He sent His Son to be born on this earth to bring us back into a close, intimate relationship with Himself, something that was lost when sin entered the world. What an incredible gift that was for us to not only know Him as our savior but to know that He was born to be reconciled to us again and to give us access to His presence continually.

The second key to remaining in His presence is to remain in continual communication and communion with the Lord through prayer, praise, and gratitude. Scripture makes this clear throughout the Bible, but especially in Philippians 4:4-7, where we are directed to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” There is always so much to rejoice in as a result of the birth of Christ and His nearness! I love knowing that not only does He bring peace, but this peace stands as a guard over my heart and mind that are both prone to wander.

And lastly, to remain in His presence this time of year, we should aim to control our wandering thoughts that tend to distract us away from God’s presence and lead toward anxiety. We arrive at this place of peace by remaining in His word so we are saturated with the truth and by taking our thoughts captive to Christ so He can redirect them to all that Paul describes in Philippians 4:8-9: …whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Notice that this time, Paul doesn’t say peace of God, but instead God of peace! He alone is our peace, and we have access to this peace every moment of every day because He is with us as a result of His birth.

As the Christmas music fades, the twinkling lights go out, and the last present is opened, remember that if you are in Christ, He is the only gift that keeps on giving. Join me with a determination not to let 2025 be a year spent wandering in the wilderness. Choose to live instead in the place of abundance He promised as part of the oneness we gain in His nearness. No, not material abundance or fleshly gain as the world sees it, but instead something far greater. The gift of Himself and His Holy Spirit… the gift of everlasting love, joy, and peace from now through all of eternity.

May your heart be at peace, and may you be blessed this Christmas with His presence, knowing you are ardently loved and you are ardently His.

Ardently His,

Leah

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