All over the world people are seeking peace. Countries enter into agreements to have peace with one another. However, this kind of peace is not worth much more than the paper it is written on. Treaties are made, and treaties are broken. In the book of Isaiah, we find a peace that transcends all others. The prophet was foretelling the birth of the Messiah. He is the Prince of Peace!
Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
The good news of Jesus Christ coming as our Savior and Redeemer is a peace that brings peace to the soul eternally. In our sinful state, we are at war with God, His enemies. God cannot be in the presence of sin. His holiness separates a sinful soul from Him, but His love made a way by the giving of His Son for our redemption. This would bring peace between God and all who believe.
Romans 5:10 “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
His death made it possible to reconcile the world to God by His atonement. All who will receive Him as their Savior, their payment for their sins, would be made at one with God. When we are at one with God, we can be at peace with others. Our desires change to an eternal perspective. We are concerned about the souls of men and women, and our goal is to see them reconciled to God. We want them to experience this peace that settles the soul. This peace is brought to us when we place our faith in Jesus Christ. It is by believing all that God says. Peace is found as we trust Him. It brings joy and hope to us. A joy and a hope that no one can take away. To find and maintain this peace, we must spend time seeking the face of God. We can’t place our trust in leaders or countries to bring us peace. They will come and go. People and things change constantly, but God never changes.
Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
No peace surpasses the peace that being right with God brings. When I lay my head on my pillow at night, I have no fear of death or the future. I know that whatever happens, I am in God’s hands. He is in total control, and He loves and wants what is best for me. He has prepared a place where I will spend eternity with Him forever. God gave the gift of His Son as an expression of His love and goodwill toward men. Therefore, I can have peace with God, and the peace of God. Nothing is as sweet as this peace.
Isaiah 26:3 teaches us that we can have perfect peace if we keep our minds on Him. He offers peace for every situation we face. The world’s idea of peace is bound up in things and money, in power and people, but God doesn’t want our peace to be dependent on things and circumstances of this world. He wants us to draw close to Him where we can have peace in the storm. We can rest no matter what the world throws at us.
Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
This Christmas season think about the peace that God extended to us through the baby, His Son, that He sent to be the God-man. The baby that would afford us peace through His sacrificial death on the cross. Peace with God and the peace of God is a wonderful gift, but God paid a high price for us to experience this peace. Meditate on it, cherish it, and be grateful for it as you celebrate the birth of our Savior.
