Peace Comes from Relationship
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3
Jesus Christ came to earth to show us the Father. He is “the exact imprint of His nature”. That very idea makes my heart skip a beat; that I can know the God who created me, who holds all of creation in the palm of His hands, the God who formed the stars and the planets, the all powerful God who ordains all things. Our great God who seemed afar off came near when Jesus was born.
God isn’t like some earthy King who may suffer a moment with us in his presence if we’re lucky. God wants us to know Him. Just that one act reveals so much of His love for us and His desire to have a personal relationship with us. Scripture even says that God is glorified through His relationship with us. “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:1-3). Jesus came on a mission to reconcile us to God. His perfect life, His sacrificial death, His resurrection, His ascension, all served to bring us into a relationship with God that begins the moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and will continue into eternity.
The more deeply we know God the more deeply we will know peace. We try in vain to obtain peace through our own efforts, trusting that if we just work harder, serve more, fix that difficult relationship, conquer that sin that keeps rearing its ugly head, etc. The only way to true and lasting peace is through a relationship with God, and that begins with knowing Jesus Christ. We see that God is humble and kind, that He upholds righteousness, that He is full of mercy and forgiveness, that He is willing to walk with us through the muck and the mire so much so, that He walked all the way to the cross covered in our sin and our shame. There is nothing that can sever that relationship, nothing that will change God’s mind, nothing you can go through in this life that He isn’t ready and eager to walk with you through.
I pray that you’ll find that time with me this advent, in the midst of all of the uncertainty this year has brought, to grow in your relationship with God and find peace in knowing that no matter where we find ourselves, we have the most Faithful of Friends walking with us.
