If you’re
anything like me, you cherish winter break for more than its traditional
Christmas cheer, notorious excuses for eating absurd amounts of holiday sweets,
and precious time spent with family and relatives. Secretly, I look forward to
winter break because it means I don’t have to deal with the pressures of daily
life. I don’t have to panic about homework deadlines or think about endless ballet
rehearsals.
For me,
winter break seems like an escape. For a few weeks out of the year, people
strive to maintain happy holiday moods and can come together to sing serenely
of “peace on earth.” But after the festivities of Christmas and New Year draw
to an inevitable close and people return to work and school, we disregard “peace
on earth” as nothing more than an annual Christmas comfort.
Now, we are standing on the brink
of another spring semester of school classes, job stresses, and extracurricular
activities, dreading to jump headlong into our hectic schedules.
Yes, there
will be drama, frustration, pain, and problems. But we don’t have to be discouraged
by that. Instead, we can delight in the discomforts of this life because that is where God promises to be
with us.
While I am in no way disregarding
God’s presence in times of peace and prosperity, I would like to emphasize God’s
promise to be with us in pain and problems. Why? Because it is in those moments
of frustration that we tend to forget about God. We mistrust the power of His
peace.
Consider Psalm 91:15 which says, “When he calls to me, I will answer him; I
will be with him in trouble, I will rescue him and honor him.” God promises
to be near to us in trouble. What love, that He who is incorruptly perfect
would be near to us in the imperfection of our worldly troubles. Just as Christ
came to a world stained by sin, so He comes to us in the midst of our suffering.
In love, He seeks to be close to us.
Does that mean He will snap His
fingers and whisk away our homework or social drama? No. But that’s okay. If He
is near, that is enough.
We often mistakenly perceive peace
as the total absence of stress or sorrow. But peace is found wherever Christ
is. If we respond to His constant call to draw near to Him—whether in times of rest
or trouble—the surpassing power of His peace can reign in our hearts.
We should rejoice in the testing of
our faith, patience, or humility, because it is there that we recognize our neediness.
In the absence of fear, we forget about faith. In the absence of trouble, we
forget about trust. In the absence of stress, we forget about stillness. In the
absence of pressure, we forget about purpose. Why should we run from the very
things that can draw us close to God, who promises to be with us in the midst of trouble?
So, do not be afraid of the trials
this semester might bring. Do not be afraid of the pain you might feel or the
tears you might cry. Do not live in dread, but in delight! For there IS a God
who loves you and longs to be near you in trouble. Call to Him in all things, and
trust that He will answer. Trust that He will give you peace in His presence.
~Hannah
