And his name shall be called “Prince of Peace”.
“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.” Isaiah 9:6 KJV
Peace: quietness, stillness, rest, prosperity. Jesus came to bring peace.
I live in a small community so we don’t have many of the external factors that disturb the peace; we don’t have a lot of fires or accidents that bring the sirens, no traffic jams, or fighting for parking places. To us a crowd is more than 3 people in line at the grocery store and the biggest disturbance is the school bus that rushes down the road each morning or the Fed-X truck each afternoon. In fact, in the evening we can hear the deer as they walk through the brush on the lot next door, the quail calling for the chicks and the dove cooing in the trees.
But regardless of our lack of external factors, the internal ones are the same no matter where you are. Anxiety, interpersonal conflict, health concerns, financial issues – those affect everyone no matter where you live. A sense of peace was so important to God that he made it part of His name, “Prince of Peace”. The peace that He was referring too will bring us peace in all the areas listed above. He was talking about peace between God and man. I’ve heard it said that there are 365 verses in the Bible that tell us not to worry or be anxious or afraid; one for each day of the year!
“Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased [men of goodwill, of His favor].” Luke 2:14 AMP
Peace between God and man was broken in the garden of Eden when Adam sinned. Their relationship was affected and Christ came to restore that relationship. He came to reconcile the relationship between God and man.
“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
Jesus spoke to his followers time and again about peace. And one of the last things He told them was this.
“Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]” John 14:26 AMP
This was His instruction right before His crucifixion. He was talking to them about peace. The angels announced His birth with peace and at His death he was still talking about peace.
I give you permission to open a Christmas present early this year. It’s probably the most valuable gift you’ll receive – untie the bow, open the box and the let peace of God, which bypasses our understanding, guard your heart and mind (Phil 4:7) and flood your life today.