The Voice Of Peace In The Wilderness Of Anxiety

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:26‭-‬27 NLT

Advent 2020 is a very special time in human history. We have been thrown into the wilderness of anxiety by the COVID 19 virus. This miniscule virus is, at the same time, the voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord. We are forced to redirect our attention from the festivities of Christmas and to reexamine and reflect on the reason for the season - the birth of Christ in our hearts. It is a time to ponder on the absence of God in our mundane and hectic lives so that we will be drawn to the wonder of God’s presence in the beauty of creation and in one another as the Spirit opens our spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear.

Reflecting on the parable of the sower, I found pride reigning in my heart and turning it into a stony soil. I am tempted to idolatry and to worship money and power just as Jesus was tempted in the wilderness after his baptism:

“Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Matthew 4:8‭-‬10 NLT

The best antidote to pride is to let our Shepherd of Love lead me beside peaceful streams and to rest in green meadows (Psalms 23:2) - to spend time doing nothing with God so that God can do something in and through me as I trust Jesus Christ to be my everything.

We celebrate Christmas because Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead to give us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with the love of God (Romans 5:5). Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we have peace with God (Romans 5:1). And so we can live in the wilderness of anxiety with the wonderful promise of Jesus:

 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 NLT

 The season of Advent is to make room for God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. To do so, I have found Christian meditation most helpful. The tradition of silence and stillness in prayer is to observe our thoughts and feelings in a noncritical and nonjudgmental way as we invite the Holy Spirit to search our hearts. Dorothy Lee noted that although it helps us to relax and to deal with anxiety, the more important value of meditation lies in increasing our awareness of God’s presence:

 “It is nothing other than the presence of God and being entirely in the present moment, which, though it may not seem productive during the meditation, is ultimately transformative for the whole of life. It is not a matter of wrestling with anxiety but rather of resting in the transforming presence of God beyond our egos.”

 The COVID 19 virus has dealt a mighty blow to human pride by forcing us to face our “inability to control emotional responses to perceived threats” - a definition of anxiety. It had also enforced God’s Sabbath rest on humankind and had turned our cities into a wilderness for a time.

The challenge of Advent 2020 is to transcend our egos by resting in God’s transforming Presence that we may receive the gift of peace of mind and heart. We need the Holy Spirit to turn the stony ground of our hearts into fertile soil. Then we can reap a harvest of righteousness and sow the seeds of peace:

 “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9 NLT

 It is our identity as a child of God that gives us a true understanding and appreciation of the significance and purpose of our apparently short and insignificant lives. As children of God we are called to live together in love and peace. When we live together in peace as the family of God, we are in heaven on earth.

Let us, with a poverty of spirit and in meekness, reflect on the gift of the Holy Spirit during this second week of Advent:

 “How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven
No ear may hear His coming
But in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him still
The dear Christ enters in."