Guide Our Feet into the Path of Peace

If you’ve ever tried walking through your house at night without turning on the lights, you may know the difficulty of “the path of peace.” Spoiler: stepping on a piece of Lego or a squeaky dog toy, or stubbing your toe is not it. We don’t drift into peace any more than we can drift into fitness. I wish! Peace is something God guides us into – one careful, prayerful, grace-filled step at a time.
 
Luke 1:79 tells us that Jesus came “to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Note, not shove, not drag, not yell instructions like a spiritual GPS recalculating after every wrong turn. He guides by His Holy Spirit and His Word. This is the gentle, patient leadership of Christ: shepherding us through the chaos, anxieties and demands of life.
 
Karl Barth wrote, “In the birth of Jesus, the eternal God takes the initiative to make peace with humanity.” Augustine said, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” Peace isn’t the absence of conflict; it’s the presence of Christ.
 
And God doesn’t wait until we’ve got everything figured out before He guides us. He meets us where we are - barefoot, limping, frustrated, doubtful - and leads us onward, toward where we could never get on our own.
 
Let’s ask God to guide our feet. Maybe that looks like slowing down before speaking. Maybe it’s forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve it (which one of us does deserve it?). Maybe it's finally trusting that Jesus really does care for you. May we walk with Him; one step, one grace, one peaceful path at a time.

Revd Michael Hogg