The second candle of Advent is the candle of Peace. Yet peace can often feel out of reach in a world filled with conflict, noise, and endless uncertainty. Many of us carry silent struggles, strained relationships, and anxious hearts. It is in the middle of this unrest that God offers a gentle, powerful gift: encouragement.
True encouragement is more than a comforting phrase. It is the quiet assurance that God is near, that we have not been abandoned, and that this moment is not the end of the story. When the angels spoke to the shepherds, their first words were not judgment, but encouragement: “Do not be afraid.” Those simple words were the beginning of peace.
God’s encouragement does not erase the chaos around us, but it stabilizes the chaos within us. It calms what the world stirs up. It strengthens us to keep walking, to keep believing, to keep hoping. That is the peace of Advent — not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ.
In the story of John the Baptist, we see a different kind of encouragement: a call to prepare the way of the Lord. Encouragement sometimes comes as a loving challenge — an invitation to straighten what has become crooked and to open our hearts once again to God’s restoring peace.
This second week of Advent, pause to notice where you most need encouragement. Is it in your faith, your relationships, your past, or your future? Bring that place honestly before God. Let his Word remind you that he is still moving, still healing, still restoring what is broken.
And as you receive peace, become a bearer of it. A simple message. A listening ear. A forgiving heart. These small acts of encouragement are how God’s peace enters the world — through you.
Inner Altar 