The Prince of Peace
“His name shall be called…Prince of Peace.”—Isaiah 9:7 (ESV)
Several years ago I was on a flight from Chicago to San Francisco. It was a very cold March, with cloudy gray skies covering the city like a giant blanket. The flight took off and we ascended into the skies, passing through the clouds. Looking out the window there was nothing to see except clouds all around. As the plane climbed higher, the clouds lessened and then there it was, in all its glory, the beautiful sun. It was absolutely breathtaking. The sun was brilliant, displaying a beauty that I had not seen before. It struck me that when I was on the ground, the sun didn’t seem to be there, but when I ascended, I saw that it was there the entire time, just covered by clouds. I needed to ascend through the clouds in order to see it.
The peace of God is very similar to what I experienced on my flight. It’s hard to sense it when we’re focused on the clouds and storms of life, but when we set our minds upon Him, we are able to soar high above the circumstance we face and behold His glorious beauty. And moments of peace permeate our soul.
There is a great deal of talk about peace in our world today. No matter how the world tries, there will never be any true and lasting peace between man and God until God’s Messiah reigns. According to Isaiah, the coming Messiah would be the “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” and last of all, He would be the “Prince of Peace.” In Hebrew, “Prince of Peace” is Sar Shalom. “Shalom” is the Hebrew term for “peace,” but it means more than a calm feeling. It means, “wholeness,” “to be complete,” “perfect,” and “full.” Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah’s rule and reign will be marked by peace, internally and externally, the absence of war and hostilities among nations, and wholeness in soul.
Jesus is the Messiah and the peace of His coming kingdom was foreshadowed through His person. His life was characterized by peace. He was kind, loving, compassionate and complete, the prototype of peace in His interaction with others and how He lived in His devotion to God the Father. Not only was Jesus’ life characterized by peace, but also He in turn, gives us His peace. As Jesus says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." And the apostle Paul wrote that we could have peace with God because of Jesus (Romans 5:1). When we trust in Him, He becomes our peace (Ephesians 1:14-17), we are given His peace (John 14:27), and His peace will guard us when we continually set our minds upon Him (Philippians 4:17, Colossians 3:15). What wonderful promises to take with us as we encounter the trials of today!
We need not be afraid of what the world throws at us, because Jesus has conquered all and reigns from heaven, waiting for the time that He will reign on earth. His peace is reigning with us now as we continually submit to Him. May this Christmas season be a time when we pause to remember the birth of peace, Jesus Christ. He is our only true and everlasting peace. Amen.
Several years ago I was on a flight from Chicago to San Francisco. It was a very cold March, with cloudy gray skies covering the city like a giant blanket. The flight took off and we ascended into the skies, passing through the clouds. Looking out the window there was nothing to see except clouds all around. As the plane climbed higher, the clouds lessened and then there it was, in all its glory, the beautiful sun. It was absolutely breathtaking. The sun was brilliant, displaying a beauty that I had not seen before. It struck me that when I was on the ground, the sun didn’t seem to be there, but when I ascended, I saw that it was there the entire time, just covered by clouds. I needed to ascend through the clouds in order to see it.
The peace of God is very similar to what I experienced on my flight. It’s hard to sense it when we’re focused on the clouds and storms of life, but when we set our minds upon Him, we are able to soar high above the circumstance we face and behold His glorious beauty. And moments of peace permeate our soul.
There is a great deal of talk about peace in our world today. No matter how the world tries, there will never be any true and lasting peace between man and God until God’s Messiah reigns. According to Isaiah, the coming Messiah would be the “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” and last of all, He would be the “Prince of Peace.” In Hebrew, “Prince of Peace” is Sar Shalom. “Shalom” is the Hebrew term for “peace,” but it means more than a calm feeling. It means, “wholeness,” “to be complete,” “perfect,” and “full.” Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah’s rule and reign will be marked by peace, internally and externally, the absence of war and hostilities among nations, and wholeness in soul.
Jesus is the Messiah and the peace of His coming kingdom was foreshadowed through His person. His life was characterized by peace. He was kind, loving, compassionate and complete, the prototype of peace in His interaction with others and how He lived in His devotion to God the Father. Not only was Jesus’ life characterized by peace, but also He in turn, gives us His peace. As Jesus says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." And the apostle Paul wrote that we could have peace with God because of Jesus (Romans 5:1). When we trust in Him, He becomes our peace (Ephesians 1:14-17), we are given His peace (John 14:27), and His peace will guard us when we continually set our minds upon Him (Philippians 4:17, Colossians 3:15). What wonderful promises to take with us as we encounter the trials of today!
We need not be afraid of what the world throws at us, because Jesus has conquered all and reigns from heaven, waiting for the time that He will reign on earth. His peace is reigning with us now as we continually submit to Him. May this Christmas season be a time when we pause to remember the birth of peace, Jesus Christ. He is our only true and everlasting peace. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment