Daily Devotionals
2021
Monday, December 13
Selwyn Jayakar
Each year, in December, the Nobel Peace Prize recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to world peace. Particularly, those who have built fraternity between nations, reduced standing armies, or facilitated peace congresses. Even so, world events constantly remind us that the best of human efforts towards building peace are imperfect and often yield only partial success. Writing over eight centuries before Christ, the Prophet Isaiah points us to a time that is coming when God himself will mediate peace between nations, a time when there will no longer be a need for warfare or weapons, when existing ones will be repurposed to other, more mundane uses.
Even more exciting is the imagery of seeing the nations come to worship the Lord at His Temple. Situated between passages that express God’s profound sadness over Israel’s departure from following Him, God reveals this joyful future estate, where a posture of obedience and worship is adopted globally.
Whether between nations or within our own hearts, peace may be more elusive than we wish. While we eagerly await our coming King to restore the nations—by abandoning conflict to embrace peace and by worshiping Him—how might God want us to respond to Him this season?
Will we respond like those whom Isaiah describes, eager to learn and obey, ready to please the Lord by walking in His light? And like the psalmist in Psalm 131 who calls on Israel to be still and quietly put their trust in the Lord? Will we silence all that robs us of our confidence in Christ our Emmanuel?
Perhaps we are to welcome Christ by embodying His nature, willing to put aside what was rightfully His and reaching out to help the lost and weary, so that through this—our worship—He may draw the nations to Himself.
Selwyn lives in Fenway and has been attending Park Street Church for eight years. He is passionate about homeless outreach.