Peace Amidst Chaos
Written by Abbie Segerstrom
"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."
- Isaiah 26:3
The night sky over Bethlehem was anything but quiet. The world was weary and waiting. Israel felt forgotten, oppressed by Roman rule, and centuries of silence hung heavy in the air. Then suddenly, light pierced the darkness. The stillness of the fields erupted with song as angels declared, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!"
Peace was not announced because the world had finally settled down. It was declared because the Prince of Peace had entered in.
That’s the wonder of Advent: God didn’t wait for the perfect, calm conditions. He stepped into the ache and mess of humanity and made it sacred by His presence.
I think about that a lot these days. The world feels unsteady with alarming headlines, plenty of heartbreak, and fear. We feel the heaviness. The sense that something unseen is stirring. Yet the same truth holds: peace has never depended on calm circumstances. It has always depended on Christ.
Isaiah says God keeps in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on Him; fixed, steady, unmoved. That doesn’t mean life stops spinning; it means even as it spins, we are held by something greater. Perfect peace is not passive; it’s the nearness of Jesus. He reminds us that He is before all things and He holds all things together.
PRAYER: Prince of Peace, You did not wait for the world to be calm before You came. Step into our unrest again. Still our racing hearts, anchor us in Your love, and let Your peace reign over us.
