Peace in the Valley | Advent Devotional Day 11

Advent 2025 DevotionalCore | Peace
December 10, 2025
Written by Simon Kim

Title: Peace in the Valley

Scripture: Isaiah 11:6-8


My Reflection

Have you ever walked into a room and you weren’t able to determine who was a friend and who was in opposition to you?
 
Long ago I served as an Associate Pastor in a church setting in Arizona. There was discord amongst the church leadership in regards to whether or not I was still a “good fit” because the Senior Pastor and I were not on the same page with the ultimate direction of the church. I walked into a meeting and sat down not knowing whose side people were on because of the many privately held meetings I was not privy to. My hands were sweaty and I could feel my body tense with anxiety. What was I supposed to do knowing there were people in this room actively trying to get rid of me and others who were fighting on my behalf?
 
Our passage today brings up this type of tension - read it again. There are natural enemies within the same field and possible dangers at every turn. What could possibly harm you is right there next to you. Yet, the passage gives us both a sense of tension in the moment and a peace that seems to hover over the situation. Sometimes it seems that these tensions are at every turn in our life: work, marriage, our children, friendships, politics, mental health, social justice and the list goes on. Is it possible that God doesn’t remove these tensions in our life but instead points us to Jesus as the source and power of peace? Friends, my encouragement to you is this: under the weight of all the tensions we experience in life it is the promise of Jesus that he will come bring justice and redemption and offer us a peace that doesn’t always make sense but is still filled with his goodness and kindness. 
 
As I sat in that room an older man sat next to me. We sat in silence but I felt him put his hand on mine under the table and give a gentle squeeze. That night Bill was the presence of Jesus for me. I was not alone. Neither are you.

My Prayer:

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