Today begins the second week of Advent. The theme for this week
and today's word is peace.
"For unto us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on
his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government
and peace,
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this."
Isaiah 9:6-7
"He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the
LORD his God.
And they will live securely, for then
his greatness
will reach the ends of the earth.
And he will be their peace."
Micah 5:4-5
These two passages speak of the characteristics of the Messiah and what life will be like in His reign. I think these prophecies were meant to give the people who were looking for and longing for the coming Messiah a sense of peace and hope. The peace that the Bible speaks of is more than what we tend to think of as peace. We tend to think of peace as the absence of war or conflict, or we think of it in terms of calm and quiet. But the peace the Word of God refers to is a deep restoration of what is broken and painful in the world - separation with God as a result of sin.
In Hebrew
the word for peace is Shalom. Shalom is a sense of well-being and fulfillment
that comes from God and is dependent on His presence. Shalom is wholeness,
prosperity, security and fullness of life that only comes as a result of a
restored relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. Ephesians tells us that
the prophecy spoken of in Micah 4:5 has come to pass in the person
of Jesus Christ ..."He himself is our peace." (Ephesians
2:14) On the cross Jesus Christ took on the sin that kept us far from God and
made it possible for us to have peace with God. Acts 10:36; Romans 5:1-11;
Ephesians 2:14-18, Colossians 1:19-22 are all passages that explain how peace
with God is made through Jesus Christ by His blood shed on the cross.
Jesus is our peace. He is the instrument through which God brings us back – reconciles us – to Him.
In a year such as the one we have been living through, it's hard to understand how God heals the brokenness of the world. It's hard to feel His peace in the midst of pain and suffering, losing loved ones to the virus, facing economic crisis brought about by job losses, trying to figure out how to feed our families and keep a roof over their heads, struggling in the face of racial injustice, trying to love each other in the midst of great divisiveness - all of these things can make peace hard to grasp right now.
But God wants us to know His peace in the midst of all of this. To know, that despite all that is going on, all that is going wrong in the world around us, His peace brings us comfort, because His peace is eternal. His peace withstands the trials and hard times we face. His peace brings us into the loving arms of Jesus who will wipe every tear, who will comfort every hurt, who will restore the broken hearted, who will fill you with His love and grace, and who will give you His Spirit to provide you with peace through prayer. True peace comes from knowing, "It is well with my soul".
If you do not feel you have
peace with God, then please read the passages I spoke of above that show the
way to peace with God through Christ. Pray over them. Then ask Jesus for
His forgiveness of your sin. Read Acts 10:43 and Romans 10:9-10 for more. Accept His gift of forgiveness for your sins. Do
this and know that you have peace with God and let this Advent season be a time
of celebration for His goodness, mercy and grace in your life.
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