Finding Peace in the Waiting: Leaning on God

Advent is a season of preparation and hopeful waiting, and this week I leaned into the theme of peace. We often see “peace” splashed across cards and coffee mugs in December, yet the road Mary and Joseph walked hardly looked peaceful. God’s promises are sure, but the journey can be uncomfortable—full of delays, detours, and dependence. Their path to Bethlehem wasn’t a mistake; it fulfilled Micah’s prophecy that the ruler would come from Bethlehem. This wasn’t Plan B. It was Plan A, necessary and precise, even if the terrain was rough, the timing inconvenient, and the accommodations nonexistent.

Their story teaches us how peace grows in real life: through obedience when things don’t make sense, through trust when God’s timing stretches us, and through a settled confidence that His presence is the treasure, not just a tidy outcome. God’s delays are not denials; they are preparation. Mary and Joseph model peace in the waiting—a posture of heart that believes God is working even when we can’t yet see it.

Isaiah 26:3 promises “perfect peace”—shalom shalom. In Hebrew, that doubling intensifies the meaning: not more of the same peace, but a complete, unbroken wholeness that God alone gives. That peace comes to those whose minds are “fixed” on Him. The word “fixed” (samak) means to lean your full weight upon. The direction you lean is the direction you will fall. If you lean on your own understanding, you’ll collapse into anxiety. If you lean into God, you’ll find rest, even in the storm.

Proverbs 3:5–6 calls us to trust the Lord, refuse the illusion of control, and submit our ways so He can direct our paths. That’s the paradox of peace: it isn’t found by gripping harder; it’s found in surrender. Much of our worry is an overestimation of our ability to control and an underestimation of God’s goodness. The birth story reminds us: peace isn’t the absence of problems; it’s the presence of Jesus on the journey.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Obedience births peace in waiting Even when the call was disruptive and the details unclear, Mary and Joseph responded with prompt, willing obedience. Peace took root not because circumstances were easy, but because their “yes” aligned them with God’s steady hand. Obedience doesn’t remove tension; it anchors us inside it. Peace grows where trust becomes action. [70:35]
• 2. Delays are preparation, not denial God’s timing stretched them, yet every delay was shaping hearts and aligning details to fulfill His promise. Waiting trains our desires, loosening our grip on outcomes so we can receive what God actually intends. The pause is often God’s workshop, where strength, clarity, and humility are forged. Hope matures in the furnace of not-yet. [71:49]
• 3. Seek God’s presence over outcomes Emmanuel—God with us—is the true prize, not merely a successful result. When presence becomes the goal, anxiety loses leverage because peace is no longer tethered to circumstances. We begin to measure our days not by what changed around us, but by who was with us within it. Presence reframes every valley as inhabited ground. [73:19]
• 4. Lean into God, release control Perfect peace belongs to those who “lean” the full weight of their minds on God. The direction you lean is the direction you will fall—toward fear if you trust self, toward rest if you trust Him. Surrender isn’t passivity; it’s active reliance on a wiser strength. Control fractures; trust integrates the soul. [80:05]
• 5. Peace is Jesus with you Peace is not a sanitized life; it is a Companion who does not leave. When we equate peace with comfort, we chase illusions; when we equate peace with Christ’s nearness, we find ballast. His presence does not promise easy roads—but it promises a steady heart on every road. That is enough. [83:25]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [62:21] - Advent defined and Hope review
• [62:52] - Lighting Hope; introducing Peace
• [63:16] - Christmas lights and open witness
• [64:21] - Peace on cards, messy journey
• [65:06] - The journey was necessary (Micah 5:2)
• [67:03] - Disrupted plans and social pressure
• [68:35] - The hard road to Bethlehem
• [70:35] - Peace in seasons of waiting
• [71:49] - Delays as preparation, not denial
• [72:41] - Emmanuel: presence over outcomes
• [75:38] - Perfect peace: shalom shalom
• [78:40] - Fixing the mind: samak—leaning
• [80:05] - Trust, surrender, and directed paths
• [83:25] - Peace is the presence of Jesus

1. What specific detail in Micah 5:2 makes Bethlehem essential to the Messiah’s coming, and what does the phrase "whose goings forth are from everlasting" tell us about the ruler's identity? [01:05:25]
2. Isaiah promises "perfect peace." What does the Hebrew doubling (shalom, shalom) emphasize about the kind of peace God gives? How does the word translated as "fixed" (samak) add to that picture? [01:18:40]
3. Proverbs 3:5–6 uses the verb "lean" and the command to "acknowledge" God. What two actions does the passage ask of the mind and heart? How do those two actions relate to each other? [01:20:05]
4. When the Bethlehem journey is described, what concrete hardships are named (delays, disrupted plans, poor accommodations, social pressure)? How do those details shape the image of the road to Christmas? [01:07:03]

1. If the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem was required by prophecy rather than a detour, how should that affect the way one interprets unexpected interruptions in life—are they likely random detours or might they be part of the intended path? [01:05:06]
2. If "shalom, shalom" signals complete, unbroken well-being beyond human understanding, what does that imply about the limits of human strategies for finding peace during prolonged stress? [01:17:36]
3. Proverbs calls people to "lean not on your own understanding." What does that command imply about the common habits of decision-making (analysis, control, planning) and how those habits must change when trust is the primary posture? [01:20:37]
4. The claim is made that "God’s delays are preparation, not denial." How does that reframe the emotional experience of waiting, and what tensions remain when someone tries to hold that belief while still feeling anxious? [01:11:49]

1. Where in your life right now are you leaning on your own understanding or control? What is one concrete step you can take this week to "lean" toward God instead (a prayer, a pause, asking someone to pray with you)? [01:19:08]
2. Identify a current delay or waiting season in your life. How might you intentionally treat this time as preparation rather than a denial—what small acts of obedience could you begin now? [01:11:49]
3. Who or what do you usually look to for "peace" when things are messy (successful outcomes, comfort, approval)? What would a practical reordering look like so that the presence of Jesus becomes the primary measure of peace? [01:13:19]
4. Think of a recent situation that felt disruptive or humiliating (social pressure, plans upended, lack of resources). What evidence can you point to that God was at work in that situation, and how can that memory help you trust in future uncertainties? [01:14:51]
5. What spiritual habits (Scripture reading, silence, sharing with a friend, worship) most help you keep your mind "fixed" on God? Which one will you commit to practicing this week to cultivate the "perfect peace" Isaiah describes? [01:10:35]