“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called … Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, NASB).
2011 has been unusually chaotic—earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, tornadoes, wars, revolutions, skyrocketing national debt, economic hard times, and widespread unemployment.
At the end of such a year, it’s especially comforting to remember that God promised to provide us with a Prince of Peace, a ruler who would epitomize peace and bring peace to our troubled world. Isaiah described this One as a Prince, a ruler under the authority of another, even God the Father. An outstanding mark of His rule would be peace. The Hebrew word translated “peace” is “shalom,” which means the fullness of well-being, freedom from anxiety, goodwill, and harmony in relationships—not just the absence of hostility. “Shalom” comes from a root meaning “to be whole or complete.” The Prince of Peace would Himself possess a perfectly integrated, well‑rounded personality, and be at peace with God and man.
When Jesus Christ came to this earth, He provided peace with God by bearing the sins of humankind and dying in our place (Romans 5:1). He made peace through the blood of His cross, and His self‑sacrifice reconciled all things to God—all creation, including people (Colossians 1:20). When Christ returns to the earth, He will bring global peace, having done the work necessary to establish it when He died. Then the nations “will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war” (Isaiah 2:4). Having removed the cause of war—sin and enmity between God and man (Romans 5:11)—people will live in peace with God and with one another forever (Isaiah 9:7).
Peace has come and will come to us because a Child was born. We must go to Him to find peace. Come, Lord Jesus!