Your Happy Place

A series on Isaiah 9:6 – The Child of Prophecy
 – Prince of Peace
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Isaiah 11:6-9; Revelation 21:1-8 

[Jesus was a child of prophecy. The Christmas story in the Bible was predicted in many Old Testament prophecies but the centerpiece of these is Isaiah 9:6. It was written nearly six hundred years before Jesus’ birth. In this series we’re going to look at the meaning and implications of this amazing prophecy.]

 

When growing up, my family took many vacations in the Smokey Mountains as well as the Rocky Mountains. Both are beautiful and majestic in their own way. There is something calming and particularly peaceful about the mountains.

 

For many people, the mountains are their “happy place”. A place where you find peace and serenity. A quiet place where you can think without interruption. A place where you can reflect on life. A place where you connect with yourself and with God.

 

It’s hard to say where Isaiah’s happy place was, or if he even had one. However, he did have an encounter with God in the temple that ultimately led to his calling as a prophet. The Lord spoke to Isaiah, and he responded, “Here am I. Send me!”.

 

As a result, Isaiah was Judah’s prophet during a chaotic time. There was a threat of an impending coup by Israel, and Assyria was aggressively expanding. Despite this, Isaiah trusted in the Lord’s Messianic prophesies which gave him hope and peace.

 

In fact, the word of the Lord came to Isaiah about a newborn child that would be called the “Prince of Peace”. In this context, he prophesied a vision of a world filled with peace, where predators and prey would live together in harmony. He said that “a little child will lead them” to establish the Messianic kingdom.

 

Hundreds of years later, shepherds were watching their sheep one night when the birth of that “little child” was gloriously proclaimed by a “multitude of the heavenly hosts”. It was an announcement for the long-awaited Messiah to be born in Bethlehem.

 

¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”        NLT   Luke 2

 

“Peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased”. It sounds like a truly happy place. One that doesn’t depend on circumstances. A place where you could experience peace from God, with God and of God. A peace that “surpasses all understanding”.

 

⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.         ESV    Philippians 4

 

Like Isaiah, John also prophesied in Revelation 21 a vision of a future world. On this occasion, it’s when Jesus returns for the second time and dwells among us to establish his kingdom. In this vision, John drew a picture of peace.

 

⁴‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

It is here that “He will wipe every tear from their eyes”.     NIV

 

But this peace is not “pie in the sky” only to be experienced in the new Jerusalem. Jesus made the following promise of a gift which is still available for us today.

 

²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. NIV    John 14

 

Where is your happy place? Where do you connect with God?

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

You’ve Got This

A series on the Psalms - the voice of emotions
When you’re feeling worried or anxious.
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 37 

[Life is filled with emotions… anger and love; fear and courage; anxiety and peace. The Book of Psalms is also filled with emotions. They help us to validate our feelings and understand ourselves better; to grow in our faith and our relationship with Jesus; to understand the character of our Lord and how He works in our life.]

  

My two oldest grandchildren have played soccer since they were four years old. When they first started, you could have called it “amoeba” soccer. That’s because players from both teams bunched together in a tight group, like an amoeba, and ran from one end of the field to the other chasing the soccer ball. It’s pretty humorous.

 

As the players got older and more competitive, the parents would yell words of encouragement to their son or daughter. One of the things that they sometimes would say is, “You’ve got this”! It’s intended to give their child confidence to face any adversity that comes their way. Certainly, it’s not bad wisdom.

 

But in this psalm, David does the exact opposite. Instead of saying, “You’ve got this”, he says, “God’s got this”.

 

²³ The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives.
²⁴ Though they stumble, they will never fall,
    for the Lord holds them by the hand. NLT

 

³⁹ The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The Lord helps them and delivers them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him.        NIV

 

The people of Israel, experienced more than their share of worry and anxiety. After all, God led Israel out of slavery into the Promised Land. But the land was already occupied, so the Israelites needed to drive the people out by force! David also experienced extreme anxiety as he constantly fled for his life from Saul.

 

I made a list of the things that can cause me to feel anxious or to worry. Maybe you can identify with some of them.

 

Finances. Change. Circumstances that are out of my control. Health concerns. Relationships. Unmet expectations. Pressure from the outside or within. Insecurities. Feeling threatened. Conflict.

 

In Psalm 37, David wrote eight times either “inherit the land” or “dwell in the land”. For the people of Israel, the land was their salvation from slavery. But for us, it can be a metaphor for dwelling in the presence of the Lord, trusting in Him and entering into His salvation.

 

³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.         NIV

 

When we do this, we’ll discover that all those things that we worry about and feel anxious about, can melt away. Not because “You’ve got this”. But because the Lord does.

 

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.      NIV                 Philippians 4                                      

 

Copyright 2023 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Routine or Upside Down?

A Series on Advent
The candle of peace – the shepherds
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 2:1-20 

[Advent is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Tradition includes lighting four candles: hope, love, joy and peace. To celebrate Advent, we will be looking at four people plus one who were intimately involved in the Christmas story, and then relating their part of the story to one of the Advent candles.]

  

Life can feel upside down at times.

 

Since I retired, I’ve developed a pattern in life that has a certain ebb and flow to it. It includes working on this devotional blog, practicing piano, picking up my granddaughter on Tuesdays, meeting with friends for breakfast or lunch and going to choir practice. It’s pretty routine.

 

The shepherds probably had a routine to their life also. Most likely this included feeding the sheep and giving them water. Or if one got lost or caught in a bush or wandered from the herd, a shepherd would search and bring them back to safety. For the most part it was fairly mundane.

 

The only time there would have been any real excitement is when a predator would try to attack one of the sheep. It doesn’t take much imagination to visualize a shepherd jumping to his feet with adrenaline rushing and doing whatever it took to protect his sheep.

 

The night the angel appeared to the shepherds was no doubt just like any other night... routine. However, they were totally unaware of the life-changing drama that had taken place in Bethlehem. They didn’t know anything about the couple who had come into town in the ninth month of her pregnancy, only to give birth in a stable to a son.

 

But then the angel appeared to them and told them this news. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

 

¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”         ESV

 

This is the news that the shepherds brought to Joseph and Mary. It was a message about peace. Not outward peace, but inward.

 

⁶ For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.              Isaiah 9:6 NIV

 

Christmas is often routine. We sing the same carols; put up a tree with the same ornaments; listen to the same Christmas story. But for the shepherds, it was anything but routine. In fact, their lives were turned upside down.

 

So… where are you in the Christmas spectrum? Are you settling for the routine? Or embracing the Prince of Peace with the risk of turning your world upside down?

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

Murphy’s Law

A Series from the Psalms
God is my… Rest
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 62

 [God is many things to many people. In this series, we will be looking at various Psalms that completes the statement “God is my…” Maybe ultimately this answers the question that we all ask at some point in our life, “Who is God to me?”.]

  

Murphy’s Law: Everything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Have you ever started a project where everything seemed to go wrong? I did just recently. It was a very simple job, or so I thought. I had a picture frame that I wanted to hang some sports memorabilia. It was just a matter of taking the plastic off, cleaning the glass, attaching the hanger, putting the items in it and hanging it.

 

Oh my gosh! You’d think I was trying brain surgery or something! It took me over an hour, and honestly, it’s still not right. It’s just hanging there, waiting for me. No doubt to mock me again. Murphy’s Law hard at work.

 

Life can be like that; one problem solving event after another. Each one adding more stress to your life leaving you feeling frustrated, angry and overwhelmed until finally you explode. Sometimes, we need a break. We need rest. Even God did. He created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.

 

David most certainly needed rest. He always seemed to be running for his life from those who wanted to kill him. Such is the case in Psalm 62. David found rest in his relationship with God.

 

¹ Truly my soul finds rest in God;
    my salvation comes from him.
² Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.      NIV

 

Through his relationship with God, David knew something that I need to learn. He knew who was ultimately in control and who faithfully loved him. He knew these things not just in his head, but in his heart!

 

¹¹ God has spoken plainly,
    and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
¹²     unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.      NLT

 

Murphy’s Law can take many shapes. From the mundane tasks of daily living to life changing events beyond our control. All of them can result in anxiety, stress, fear, frustration, anger, feeling overwhelmed and profound sadness.

 

It just takes that one small step of faith to reach out to Him; to pour out your heart. It only takes the faith of a mustard seed to find peace through God as your rest.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

 

Peace on Earth

Personal reflections on Advent: Peace
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 2:1-20

  

Christmas is a time of peace. 

Many Christmas images are portrayed as idyllic such as the baby Jesus lying in the manger with Joseph and Mary kneeling at his side; or the three wise men riding their camels under the guidance of the bright shining star.

 

Yet, we live in a world that can never seem to achieve peace. To confirm this, all you need to do is be aware of what is happening in the world around you.

 

The recent school shooting in Michigan; the tornado tragedy in Kentucky; COVID and its continuing presence of variants; nationwide record numbers of homicides and opioid deaths; the death of George Floyd. None of these can be mistaken for idyllic pictures of peace.

 

Even Jesus did not bring peace. He brought chaos to his parents; conflict to the religious leaders; uprooted the lives of his disciples, only to leave them with unfulfilled expectations; and said goodbye to his mother from the cross, the punishment reserved for the worst kind of criminal.

 

And yet, there is no peace without Jesus. He brings peace to a world that is filled with fear, anger, guilt and shame. He brings peace when you have a stillborn baby; when your parents die; when your marriage is on the rocks; when an addiction takes control of your life; when the world is crumbling around you.

 

The angels pronounced it when he was born, and Jesus promised it when he was about to die.

  

¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”      NKJV

 

²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14 NIV

 

We hear the verse from Hark the Herald Angels Sing… “Peace on Earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled”. 

The Prince of Peace has reconciled us with our faithful Heavenly Father. He loves us completely, is with us always and forgives us unconditionally. If that doesn’t bring you peace, nothing will.

 

Copyright 2021 Joseph B Williams

 

 

 

When Angels Sing

 

When Angels Sing
Personal reflections on Advent: Peace
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 2:8-15

 Every time that an angel appeared in the Christmas story, the first words from the angel’s mouth was, “Do not be afraid”. It didn’t matter who it was… Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, the shepherds; all responded with fear.

Fear is not one of those feelings that we associate with Christmas. Hope, peace, joy and love; these are the themes of Advent. These are the nice warm feelings that we like to picture when we think about Christmas. Not fear!

 

In the above passage in Luke, the angels made their presence known to the shepherds.

 

¹³ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”               NLT

 

Recently, our church choir sang a song titled, “When Angels Sing”. Here are some of the lyrics.

 

Within each lifetime an angel’s voice is heard;

celestial sounds pierce time and space.

For just a moment, the breathless beauty

of heaven’s song reveals God’s grace.

 

Peace in our hearts, peace when angels sing,

peace, be still and listen heart.

Listen when angels sing.

 

Despite our sorrow, the dawn brings life anew;

and raging storms begin to cease.

For just a moment, the breathless beauty

of heaven’s son brings us peace.

 

Think about that last verse. Listen when angels sing, and despite your sorrow… despite a worldwide pandemic; despite your isolation; let the breathless beauty of Christ bring life anew, cease your raging storms and bring you peace.

 

Listen when angels sing, and fear not, for this is Christmas.