Hello Friends,

 

I don’t usually choose a “word of the year” like some do, but a few weeks ago, for no reason, I wondered what word I would choose for myself for 2026.  The first word that came to me was Peace.  The Bible mentions Peace so many times.

One of the blessings I hear more often is Numbers 6:24-26 maybe you’ll recognize it:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” 

How does that sound, pretty amazing right? The Bible talks about how the radiance of God made Moses radiant as well “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai… he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” ‭‭(Exodus‬ ‭34‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬) I think of two things when I read this, first, like Moses, we are supposed to reflect the light of Jesus to those we meet. And two, maybe it’s just me, but the imagery I see when I read this verse is like perfect sunshine shining down, the warmth enveloping me and making me feel peaceful and care free because God is gracious, and if I can bask in the glory of a gracious God nothing else matters in that moment.  While I know this isn’t a physical feeling, I still struggle to hold onto to that feeling for long.  Work, eating, sleeping, and living life sometimes make it difficult to hold onto that feeling. However I do my best to keep trusting in God.  Isaiah 26:3 says “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”  We trust God, we keep our faith and trust constant and He keeps us in perfect peace.  ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14‬:‭30‬a NIV says “A heart at peace gives life to the body”.  Would you conclude, as I do, that trusting God gives us peace and life?

 

When we put our trust/faith in God, it leads to giving us peace and confidence to approach Him.  Romans 5:1 NIV says “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”.   How does the Bible define faith? “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬)   And what do we do with this confidence? “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬ Oh, how much we need mercy and grace in this world!  Life is hard, but Jesus knew it was, that’s why He said:  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

 

Friends, I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect this week’s blog to go how it did. I planned to talk about how I wanted to go about protecting my peace this next year. But I think God wanted to go in a different direction.  Once I start writing I just go with it.  If you have thoughts on what I shared or how God has given you peace, please comment below or fill out the contact form. I’d love to hear from you.

 

I do want to add I don’t think faith equals no anxiety. Sometimes anxiety is more chemical. I’m not a doctor so I don’t know how it all works, but I wanted to acknowledge anxiety is real, and I by no means want to imply having “enough faith” means having no anxiety.

 

 

I am a follower of Christ, I am not perfect, but I love Jesus.

Until Next Time,

 

Liz Allen