Christmas Peace, Pt. 1

What a blessing it is for me to write about peace, a topic so needed especially in our day, when peace seems to be such a rare commodity for so many.

Christmas Peace, Pt. 1

"For to 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."‬‬

(Isaiah‬ 9:6)

This week, I will share with you in these devotions the third of three messages in my series called the Christmas Trilogy. Over the last couple weeks, we have discussed Christmas Grace and Joy, and now we turn to Peace. What a blessing it is for me to be able to write about peace, a topic so important and needed every day but especially in our day, when peace seems to be such a rare spiritual commodity for so many.

Most Americans are not enjoying peaceful and tranquil days of the soul. Rather, they are stressed to the max. I think we would all agree that if we are stressed, then we are not enjoying peace. In my research and thinking on this subject of stress, here are the major factors leading to unprecedented stress levels for most in our country: COVID-19, inflation causing economic hardships, the border crisis, the fentanyl crisis, the Russia-Ukraine War, and fears we are on the brink of World War III.

I recently read the following in an article on webmd.com: "The number of people who say they're significantly stressed about these most recent events is stunning relative to what we've seen since we began the survey in 2007," says Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD. "Americans have been doing their best to persevere over these past two tumultuous years, but these data suggest that we're now reaching unprecedented levels of stress that will challenge our ability to cope."

This does not include the personal stressors many are experiencing during this Holiday Season, including abrupt changes in your family, your personal health, finances, and other factors.

But I have wonderful and hopeful news: Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and He gives peace and rest to all who come to Him. Notice the titles given to Jesus by the prophet Isaiah 700 years before Jesus was born: "For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

I love the way the small prepositional phrase "to us" is repeated twice. God gave His Son to us, to the world, as described in the most famous verse in all the Bible: John 3:16. Another verse that speaks of Jesus as the gift of God is 2 Corinthians 9:15: "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" The word translated "indescribable" is anekdiēgētos, and it is only used here in the Greek New Testament. It also means "unspeakable".

God is most gracious, and He is kind. It is within His divine nature to give and to bless, and we are most like our great God when we too give and bless others.

More about this awesome prophetic verse (Isaiah 9:6) and Jesus being our Prince of Peace this week in our remaining devotions!