And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:13-14
Upon the arrival of Jesus, the angels appeared to the shepherds and proclaimed peace and goodwill toward all men. The long-awaited Messiah had entered the world to bring back the peace that man lost in the Garden. After the Fall, the earth and everyone in it was plagued with fear, unrest, and insecurity. The Old Testament illustrates that God’s laws exposed the nature of man, but those laws did not change his stubborn and rebellious heart. While the nation of Israel had temporary peace with its neighbors at times, it was a matter of time before conflict and quarrels arose in families and with the neighboring nations.
In the world, having an inner peace is rare and almost impossible. Furthermore, in the state of insecurity, everyone looks out for themselves, and it becomes harder to have time or desire for goodwill towards others. People are stressed and the level of stress is going higher. In addition, the age of those who are experiencing stress is becoming younger and younger. Jesus came to change the nature of man and to bring us hope for a different kind of life! Jesus’ arrival brought the hope of true and lasting peace for those who trust in Him!
Peace is a commodity that many people desire but few people enjoy on a consistent basis. Years ago, when I was in a sociology class, the professor stated that the peace of mind is the number one thing that people desire to have in their lives. Peace is still among the top desires that people seek to have in their lives. Wealth, technology, access to many creature comforts have not brought us peace. People have more clothes and shoes than they know what to do with, but they are not able to purchase the peace they so badly desire. As a matter of fact, the misuse of wealth and riches brings greater discontentment and in some cases greater financial bondage.
Jesus bought us the peace that we desperately needed. He opened the door for us to have peace with God, peace with ourselves, and peace with others. In Jesus’ model prayer, Jesus stated:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10
The will of God was to send His son to the earth and through Him to bring peace and goodwill towards all. Those of us who have been born again know the peace of God that calmed our guilt and shame when we first accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The same peace that we received, the Lord desires for us to remain in and to share it with others who are in despair, anguish, and despondency.
Are you a peaceful person? What are the triggers that cause you to lose your peace? What do you do to go back to your resting and peaceful place? I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
