The Reason for the SeasonSample

Peace on Earth

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Luke 2:14)

When the angels announced the birth of our Savior, they proclaimed, “peace on earth.” The reality is that the only way to have peace on earth is to have peace in the heart, yet we see so little of it in our midst today. There is strife in our world and a lack of peace even in our churches, where many times there is infighting while we go about proclaiming that Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

So what is this “peace on earth” that was proclaimed when Jesus was born? First, it’s peace with God. When you put your faith in Jesus and know his blood has washed away every sin, you have peace with God; and instead of a judge, he becomes your Father. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray, “‘Our Father who art in heaven...’” The devil will try to bring us condemnation about what we did last night, last week, or in the last decade; but we have to stand on the assurance that we have peace with God.

Once we have come to know the Lord, we can also have peace with others. The Apostle Paul exhorted the believers by saying, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). This is possible only as the God of peace sheds his love abroad in our hearts so that we can forgive those who have offended us and also say the words that are the most difficult for most of us to utter; namely, “I’m sorry!”

Finally, we can have peace within. God does this by covering our past with a blanket of peace so that we are no longer tormented with the “what ifs” and “if onlys” of life; by covering our present so that we can live a life of contentment instead of always wanting something that seems to elude us; and by covering our future so that we don’t have to wring our hands and worry about the economy, politics, and how to bring up our children in a society that seems to be more godless each day. Instead, we have the assurance that all our days are in our Father’s hands and that every day we wake up, he is going to take care of us.

Praise God that we can say with the Psalmist, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6). Now that’s Peace on Earth!