Good afternoon! Our Advent Devotional for today was written by Adrian Andrews. Adrian serves TCU as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Safety. Rev. Todd Boling asked Adrian to write a devotional on PEACE because, “given the context of his work, I’m always amazed at his calm and peaceful demeanor. It’s that gift that makes those around him feel safe, which is a wonderful affirmation of both his calling & who he is as a person of faith. We are beyond blessed to have him at TCU, and I’m grateful for both his service as a Secret Service Agent, and his ability to be an agent of PEACE.” Enjoy today’s devotional!
Psalms 4:8
“I will lie down and sleep in peace; for you, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.”
Lie Down and Sleep in Peace
In 1989, after 6 months of special agent training, I arrived back in the Detroit Field office of the United States Secret Service determined to be the best young agent in that office. I wasted no time building a strong work reputation by volunteering for every assignment and always being the first agent in the office every morning and the last one to call out at night. I was living my childhood dream and it was obvious that I was having a blast.
On one occasion, a senior agent asked me to be the “Entry Man” for what could prove to be a very dangerous assignment. After the agent briefing, and as we were climbing into the unmarked police van, I asked one of the agents “How long will it take us to get to the house?”. The senior agent looked confused but answered, “With traffic, maybe 25 minutes.” I responded, “Great!” My response left the senior agent even more puzzled.
I then made eye contact with my best friend and fellow agent and told him “Wake me up before we get there.” I sat down in the van, pulled my cap down over my eyes, and went to sleep.
Taking a nap before going into a potentially dangerous situation was not new to me. My partner would tell anyone that this was a pretty typical occurrence …for me. It was not typical for most. I am not a person who is particularly brave, reckless or unaware of dangers of the world. What I am, is a person of immense faith.
Psalms 4:8
“I will lie down and sleep in peace; for you, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.”
The reason why I was relaxed enough to nap before entering into dangerous situations was because I routinely turned every worry or apprehension over to God. I would ask him to protect me and my team and then … I would rest in Peace. At a very young age my parents insisted my siblings and I attend church and learn to prioritize our relationships with our Lord and Savior. We were taught that we were unique, powerful and that we were all blessed with specific talents or as my grandmother would say “gifts”. My parents emphasized that if we were to keep our gifts, we had to first recognize, develop and use our talents … daily. My gift has always been to protect others.
If you want to lie down in Peace do the following:
- Prioritize your relationship with or Lord and Savior
- Acknowledge, nourish and develop your “gifts”
- Know that you are blessed and protected by the “Creator of the universe”
Let us pray.
God, draw us closer to You, that we may know Your peace during this season of Advent.
Amen.
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