Jesus--Our Prince of Peace

(previously posted on WeUsed2bu)

The waves splashed over the side of the boat, spraying their faces and stinging their eyes. The sea lurched the boat up and down, back and forth, until they were green with sickness. The wind roared around them as they tried to row, never reaching the shore, dreading the moment when a wave would flip them into the water and finish them off. Then, even as they cried out in fear, they saw a man, not a dream, but a real man, and he was walking on the water towards them. When He reached the boat He said, “It is I, do not be afraid.” And the moment He got into the boat, they found themselves safe at their destination, out of the storm. They witnessed the miracle of Jesus’ salvation, and they had peace again.

How many times do we lose sight of the peace available to us through Jesus, our Prince of Peace? When the storms of life rise up, do we allow ourselves to be tossed around by our fears, letting our anxieties get the best of us and our circumstances bring out the worst in us? No matter what the situation is that has stolen our peace, whether we created it with our own rebellion or are afflicted by something beyond our control, we can have peace in the midst of the trial, because we know the One Who is the source of all peace. Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is the key to unshakable peace—like the bumper sticker says, “No Jesus, no peace; Know Jesus, know peace.”

Jesus truly is our Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6). Most importantly, through Him we have right standing with God. If we’ve accepted His sacrifice on the cross as payment for our sins and declared Him our personal Savior, we’ve been accounted righteous in God’s eyes for eternity. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” That word “peace” refers to a permanent assurance of salvation without fear of condemnation or destruction. Because Jesus took the punishment for our sins upon Himself, we know that we are saved from hell, and that God sees us as He sees His Son, blameless and worthy. We can expect God’s goodness and mercy to always be present in our lives, and believe His promise to never remove His covenant of peace from us (Ps. 23:6, Is. 54:10) To live in Christ is to live at peace with God Himself (Eph. 2:14-18).

By faith in Him, not only do we understand the eternal peace we have with God, but we can also experience the effective peace that comes from a mind focused and dependent on Christ in our day-to-day lives. Jesus knew we would have troubles here on earth, but He didn’t want us to let them dictate our state of mind; rather, He wanted us to be of good cheer, to come to Him when we were overwhelmed, roll our cares and burdens onto Him by faith, and let Him give us rest (John 16:33, Matt. 11:28). When we choose to trust Him, we are promised a peace that is proactive and that “guards” our hearts and minds when we’re pushed past our own emotional and intellectual limits (Is. 26:3, Phil. 4:6-7).

Our enemies—the world, the flesh, and the devil—will try to get us to accept cheap substitutes for Jesus’ peace in our lives. These imposters will often lead us further away from faith in the perfect peace of God, and into greater bondages of fear, worry, and other sins (John 14:23). We can be tempted to try to find peace in placating our flesh: making it feel good for a moment so we don’t feel the pressure of the trial. The world tells us to drink, shop, medicate, eat, party, work—whatever will distract us temporarily or make us think we can overcome our problems ourselves. As Christians, though, our first and best resource should always Christ. We need to acknowledge His abiding presence in our lives (Matt. 8:26, 14:31). We need to still our hearts before Him and stop trying to do what only He can (Ps. 46:10). And we need to let His peace rule in our hearts, remembering that nothing will ever separate us from His love or His presence (Col. 3:15, Rom. 8:38-39, Heb. 13:5).

Peace isn’t just the absence of struggles, agitation, or affliction. Like all fruits of the Spirit, it’s an active, positive response to conflict that can only come from Christ living in us, imparting His righteousness to us and giving us the power to overcome this world by faith. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) Don’t take your eyes off of our Prince of Peace and allow yourself to sink in the midst of the storm. He’s right here, waiting to give you rest and safe harbor.

“For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Ps. 107:25-31)