And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
And he shall be their peace. (Micah 5:4–5)
The prophet Micah spoke of a great shepherd and ruler who would come from Bethlehem to stop the oppression of his people and be their peace. Isaiah prophesied of a child who would come to end bloody battle tumult and rule in unending peace. The angels proclaimed peace and goodwill at the birth of the Messiah who fulfilled these sayings.
But too often we do not feel at peace. Anxiety, unrest, and turmoil abound inside us, in our relationships, and in our world. We long for peace in our hearts, with others, and for our neighbors all over the globe.
Peace in our hearts begins with the birth of the Christ-child in the manger. God used the plan of a humble birth to usher in his perfect plan of peace “to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven” (Colossians 1:20). But his plan for peace didn’t end in a manger—it culminated on a cross.
You see, God was reconciling the world to himself by allowing that little baby to grow to manhood and then “making him to be sin who knew no sin” by letting him die on a cross “so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
God knew that our greatest need for peace was with him, for our sins make us his enemies. But Christ was born in order to die for his enemies, “making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:20). He reconciled us to God, and now, not only has he given us the ability to have peace with others by offering them the same forgiveness we have received, he has also given us the ministry of reconciliation.
As his ambassadors, we must proclaim to the rest of the world that true peace is available by trusting in the Prince of Peace to take away their sins. We must plead with them to be reconciled to God. And then we must watch and wait as one by one, God’s peace begins to reign in the hearts and lives of those around us.
Parker Christian Editing 