For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
When a royal child is born he is not immediately king, but even as a baby he is already a prince. Of the titles given to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6, “Prince of Peace” could have been on a little sign pinned to the manger that night in Bethlehem.
When the angels announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds, their proclamation “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace” (Luke 2:14) highlighted the ultimate purpose of Jesus’ role—to establish peace between us and God. More than seven hundred years before Jesus was born, Isaiah gave us this prophetic snapshot of God’s plan to enter history as our Prince of Peace.
The New Testament details several significant ways Jesus brings us peace in a world marked by human conflict. In fact, Christ described the peace He could deliver as something quite different from anything the world can offer. He said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Jesus didn’t promise a peace the world would understand, but rather His peace to us.
Because the Prince of Peace came, we can experience forms of His peace now. One way is peace with God. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Isaiah, who declared Jesus’ title, also described how He would establish peace between us and God: “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5 italics added). That’s salvation—the Prince of Peace made possible the absence of enmity between us and God. Our sins, transgressions, and iniquities are forgiven because Christ took them upon Himself on the cross. If we embrace Him by faith, we are forgiven and we receive the Savior as the Prince who established our peace with God.
Alongside peace with God, Jesus also delivers peace from God. This peace is more like the Old Testament concept of shalom, noted in Proverbs 16:7, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Peace from God affects every relationship in our lives. He longs to see us, His servants, getting along peacefully with each other. Almost every one of Paul’s epistles starts with that wish: peace from God. That’s a great greeting to give people—peace from God, complete shalom, the state of wellbeing provided by the Prince of Peace.
But the best peace He came to offer us is the peace of God. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of God rule in your heart.” It’s the deep confidence that He is in control and all will work out for our good in the end. We may not know what’s coming, but “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). We can’t predict the future, but we can trust that “nothing can separate us from the love of God.” (Romans 8:39).
What begins as peace with God, grows into peace from God between us and others, then matures into the peace of God within us.
Jesus Christ—the Son born, the child given, the Prince of Peace—makes all of it possible.
Journal
Pray
Lord, thank You for the Prince of Peace and all the ways He brings peace to my life. Thank You first for establishing peace with me by allowing Your Son to settle all the debts and offenses that would have prevented me from ever knowing You. Thank You for Your faithful gifts of peace in the flow of life. And thank You for the peace of Your presence and power in my life that overcomes all obstacles and draws me to You. I offer You all this gratitude in Jesus’ name, my Prince of Peace, amen.