The Source of Peace
Happy New Year!
New Year's Day gives us a special opportunity to look forward to 2025 and anticipate the good things God will do in and through us in the new year. Last month, in these weekly emails, I unpacked the prophecy of Isaiah in which he declared, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 ESV) Today, I want to focus on the last part of that statement, that Jesus will be our ”Prince of Peace.”
I am afraid many Christians do not show evidence that they have the Prince of Peace in their lives. God has given us a wonderful gift, but some have not chosen to receive it yet. I can think of no better time than today to receive the gift of peace, offered to us by our Prince of Peace. Micah describes it as this: “And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.”(Micah 5:4 ESV) Our peace is a result of our accepting His authority in our life. We do not look for greatness in men, in earthly rulers, or authorities. We look for it in the person of Christ – the only Prince of Peace.
I love how Raymond C. Ortlund puts it:
“God's answer to everything that has ever terrorized us is a child. The power of God is so far superior to all the big shots of this world that He can defeat them by coming as a mere child. His answer to the bullies swaggering through history is not to become an even bigger bully. His answer is Jesus. …Look at Jesus. As the Wonderful Counselor, He has the best ideas and strategies. Let's follow Him. As the Mighty God, He defeats His enemies easily. Let's hide behind Him. As the Everlasting Father, He loves us endlessly. Let's enjoy Him. As the Prince of Peace, He reconciles us while we are still His enemies. Let's welcome His dominion." (Isaiah: God Saves Sinners, 2005)
I think Ortlund summarizes this perfectly and his exaltation to “welcome His dominion” is a wonderful reminder to each of us. Let’s accept the role that the Messiah wants to play in our lives; let’s reap the benefits of having Him be our reigning Prince of Peace. God’s strategy to defeat Israel's enemies was not to enlist larger, more powerful armies. Instead, He did so through the influence of a child born a true Prince of Peace (Psalm 2:7; John 3:16). Let’s remember that the ultimate purpose of the Messiah’s warfare is to end all warfare. He will ultimately end conflict and bring peace – peace between the nations and, above all, peace with God (Ephesians 2:14-18).
In this new year, let's commit to setting aside the fear and chaos that reigns in so many people's hearts these troubled days, and let’s allow the Prince of Peace to reign in our lives.
Expectantly,
Shawn
