“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:1 NIV
Peace.
It’s what we all long for and usually think of as something we experience when everything runs smoothly in our lives or when our household finally quiets down from all the noise and chaos surrounding us during the day.
And peace is what we become more aware of during the Advent season.
But peace is more than just a feeling, experience, or a word we choose to focus on during Advent.
What is peace?
Peace is an offering from God bestowed on our hearts in the form of His Son Jesus, a baby born in a manger destined for the cross.
Jesus is Peace Himself, as Isaiah describes when he foretells about His coming in 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, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)
A peace that mends
Jesus is the Prince of Peace and the conveyor of peace wrapped in swaddling cloths delivering God’s remedy for mending a broken relationship between mankind and Himself.
–A relationship that required a peace that could only come through Jesus, who is God.
–A relationship that needed God to forgive our sins by bringing Peace, who is Jesus, to live in our hearts.
Peace isn’t something that comes and goes depending on what kind of circumstances we find ourselves in. Instead, peace is a person, Jesus, who indwells our hearts when we receive Him as Lord and Savior.
Peace lives within us at all times because Jesus is Peace.
We don’t have to wait for feelings of peace to fill us when we think we have everything under control because we already have the Prince of Peace indwelling us at all times.
Prayer
Lord,
Help us to remember You came as a baby in a manger to restore our relationship with You. May we recognize You as the Prince of Peace who lives inside of us when we make You Lord of our lives, so we don’t need to look around for peace or wait for random feelings of peace to appear. We’re grateful You provided the peace needed for a relationship with You and for the peace that passes all understanding because You are near and within us. (Philippians 4:6)
Amen
My Guest Today
Janet Bryant Brown writes devotionals to draw readers into a closer relationship with the God who’s always good and ever-present in our circumstances. Gently ushering them into the knowledge that God cares about them in the hard places where He’s shaping and unveiling their character in the messy middle. She loves to read, write, crochet, garden, and eat chocolate. Married to her college sweetheart Eric they have three children and four grandchildren, with a fifth grandchild due in the spring. She resides with her husband in south-central Virginia. You may find her on Instagram.
