This is the fourth description of His Name in Isaiah 9:6 – “He shall be called the Prince of Peace.”
In the New Testament, Jesus told His disciples, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.” (John 14:27 NLT)
The peace He gives us is a gift the world cannot give. In the world, peace means the absence of war, the absence of a fight or a struggle. But the peace Christ reigns with is one that goes so far beyond what we understand – it is peace IN the war, IN the fight, IN the struggle. It is a calm and an assurance, no matter what is going on. Who, but He, could do such a thing?
The world cannot give this gift. It offers much as a substitute, but the world’s peace is flimsy and it shrivels up and evaporates far too easily. The peace our Prince brings is one that can face hardship, loss, pain and sorrow with an assurance – not a hope – an assurance of His goodness and His purpose and plan and His love reigning over it all. HE reigns over it all…where He is the Prince, the Ruler and Authority, there is His peace. Read that again… where He rules, there is peace. Many times we crave the peace He gives but separate it from His authority, forgetting that it is His authority, His governing, His leadership and His kingdom in which that peace is found.
We live in troubled times – it is nothing new or unusual. There is nothing new under the sun… but as we face the trials and tribulations of our time and in our generation, we must hold onto this faith that He does not come to give us peace the way the world does. No, His ways are higher than that. He comes to give us a peace that is real and solid and unmoved by the tumultuous happenings around us. We so often look to earthly governments to bring about the peace only His reign can bring.
When the world gets loud, when the goings-on seem chaotic, when our own souls tremble with fear and intimidation, when the loss seems too great, when the fight feels too long, when our answers aren’t enough, when our inadequacies are exposed, when frailty seems familiar and when discouragement tries to settle into the deep parts of our hearts….that is when we turn to surrender afresh to His rule and His reign, His lordship and His majesty…no darkness has enough power, it must succumb to His light.
Does He not still reign? He does.
Is He not still good? He is.
Will He not conquer? He will.
Can we not trust Him? We can.
He is our Prince of Peace.
Prayer: Lord, over the last couple of years, I have seen my world shaken, my values challenged, my understanding stretched and every false peace evaporate. I am reminded today that what You give is NOT as the world gives – it’s not eliminating all of the problems and challenges, but filling me with a calm and assurance that You are present, good and in control, even in the midst of it all. Where You rule, there is peace. Bring my heart, mind and soul back under Your reign, My Prince of Peace. Amen.
Rebekah Dawn 