The Peace of Advent

The Peace of Advent

Advent invites us to slow down and wait, not passively, but with expectation. Waiting often feels uncomfortable. As global workers, we live in that sacred tension between calling and limitation, vision and fatigue, longing and labor. Into that tension, Isaiah speaks a word that recenters us: 

“Lord, You establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished You have done for us.” - Isaiah 26:12 

Israel had come through upheaval, exile, and uncertainty when Isaiah declared these words. Yet he did not point them to their resilience or accomplishments. He pointed them to the One whose sovereignty and tenderness hold His people secure. 

God alone establishes peace. 
Not circumstances. 
Not productivity. 
Not approval or ministry fruitfulness. 

Sustaining peace is something He creates and protects. This means it does not depend on you, and you are not expected to manufacture it. 

For those serving across cultures, carrying the stories of others, facing spiritual resistance, and navigating the hidden burdens of ministry, this verse offers a quiet gift. God goes before you in every conversation, every home visit, every sleepless night. He is the One who establishes peace within your heart and even within the communities you serve. 

“All We Have Accomplished You Have Done for Us” 

This phrase does not minimize your labor. It honors it by placing it in its true frame. Isaiah reminds us: 

• God sees what no one else sees. 

• God multiplies what feels small. 

• God sustains what feels fragile. 

• God completes what you cannot control. 

Everything accomplished this year, every act of compassion, every seed planted, every step of obedience, rests in His hands. He has been working in and through you far more than you realize. 

Advent peace is not the absence of tension but the presence of Christ within it. Jesus entered the world not into calm, but into poverty, pressure, and danger. Yet He came as the Prince of Peace, a peace deeper than circumstances and stronger than fear. 

A Prayer for Peace This Advent 

Lord, You establish peace for us. Where our hearts are restless, establish Your peace. Where our work feels unfinished, remind us You are not done. Where burdens feel heavy, be our rest. Where fears whisper loudly, be our comfort. Let Your peace, the peace of Christ, guard our hearts and minds this Advent. Amen. 

Your Father is not asking you to create peace. He is inviting you to receive it. 

-The MissioCare Collective Team