“And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.” (Isaiah 32:17)

December 2005

 

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are fine, and grateful to God for giving us another fruitful year of ministry. This certainly has been a challenging year for everyone throughout the earth. People have suffered from war, tsunami, terror attacks, earthquakes, hurricanes, plagues, and so on. Thank God for our faith in Jesus, our Living God Who lives and reigns forever and ever who will never leave us or forsake us!

As Christians, we are assured that whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord, and our hope is in being with Him forever and ever! This is why we celebrate Christmas every year! Jesus came to this earth to live as a man and suffer all that we suffer, so that He could identify with our sufferings. He came as a Light bearing Good News, He taught us how to live, He healed the sick, raised the dead, and loved us just as we are. Then He willingly took our place, actually becoming sin and died a horrific death that we deserved. Can you imagine our precious Savior being totally separated from His Heavenly Father, crying out  “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). This is a Man who knew no sin, who was pure and spotless, and obedient unto death!  It was finished! He gloriously rose again, taking victory over death! This is the Good News that we celebrate! We know the end from the beginning! We know that this precious Baby, lying in a manger in the humblest of surroundings, was both God and Man and that He would set us free from the Law of sin and death! Glory!

How I love quietness! I need it! I cannot go about my daily routine without a certain amount of quietness in my day. I find this even more so as I grow older. In Isaiah 32:18 God says “And my people shall dwell in peaceful habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.” This is a promise for our lives. We can be in the midst of turmoil, and yes, even a hurricane, or an earthquake, but if we are in Jesus Christ, He will give us quietness and peace. Dr. Rao, a dear friend and colleague from India, is an intercessor who prays for the prayer requests we send on the internet. This past year he has been through both the Tsunami and the recent earthquake that hit India and Pakistan. Each time I sent E-mails, praying that he and his family would be fine, and that I would hear from him. Praise God, both times they were all fine. I was so impressed with his calmness, telling me about the conditions there, and how he was going over to the disaster areas to care for the injured. He had several eye surgeries, and was not well himself, but he went in the Name of Jesus with His strength and ministered both as a medical doctor, and as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is what I mean about quietness. We can be in the midst of chaos, and yet, our spirit is quiet, it is still, it is peaceful. Security is there through Jesus, Who lives within us. If we quiet ourselves during those times, and give God our full attention, He can speak to us in a still small voice, and give us Words of peace and calmness. He can give us wisdom in our circumstance so that we don’t make wrong choices or decisions. He can give us peace within so that our mind and body stay healthy and strong. He can take us to quiet resting places where we are watered and fed by His Spirit.

Troubles may occur, but after that there is restoration. No matter what we face in life, there is hope of a better tomorrow when our eyes are fixed on our Savior. When we reflect upon God’s judgment and understand what we have been saved from, we can burst forth in praising God as the angels did on the night that Jesus was born. “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” (Luke 2:14) One of the greatest blessings in trusting God through our trials is knowing that because we have reconciled ourselves to Him through His Son, nothing can separate us from His love and care.  We can rest in Him, and the center of our existence is tranquil because we are right with Him. What joy and freedom there is in realizing this! This is why we celebrate Christmas! This is why we are so joyful at this time of year! By reflecting upon all that God has done for us, we become liberated, and peaceful, and hope is restored for a future of promise.

The world may succeed in creating a secular holiday during Christmas, with forbidding Christmas Carols in schools or secular places, or making Santa and shopping the focus, but the world can’t take Jesus away from us! The world cannot stop us from taking quiet times to reflect upon our Savior, and taking time for prayer and praise. The world cannot take that peace that is within us away because we know Who we are in Christ Jesus, and we know to Whom we belong! No one can stop us from shutting off the TV and taking out our Bible and soaking in God’s Word. No one can take our relationship away from the One Who loves us so much that He gave His all for us! Praise God!

On the other side of the coin, so to speak, when people see us peaceful and quiet in the midst of chaos, they are going to wonder why we are like that! (Smile) This is how we can quietly tell others about the hope that we have within us, and offer them that same hope! When others are going through trials and hardships, they will see that we have something that they want and they will reach out to accept it. Christmas is a wonderful time to sit back, reflect, turn away from the noise and confusion around us, and ponder upon the wonders of our faith. This is a perfect time to bring Good News to the weary, to the hungry, to the downtrodden. This is a perfect time to allow God to work through us in ways that we never thought possible. Let us, this Christmas season, rest in Him and allow His peace and love to flow through us wherever we go.

May God bless you abundantly, and from all of us at Christian Hope Network, we thank you for being a member of our team, and wish you a joyous and peaceful Christmas, and a happy and healthy New Year.