KING OF PEACE

We live in a day when ‘peace treaties’ are the goal of world leaders who seek, by compromise, to obtain some sort of peace between warring factions. And how they fail! ‘Saying, peace, peace; when there is no peace’, Jer. 6.14.

There can be no peace without righteousness. Peace can only be made possible through Him who is King of Righteousness and King of Peace. ‘The work of righteousness shall be peace’, Isa. 32. 17. No wonder the prophet, as he anticipated the child that would be born, described Him as, ‘The Prince of Peace’, Isa. 9. 6.

Our Saviour obtained peace. It was at the cross that ‘Mercy and truth … met together; righteousness and peace … kissed each other’, Ps. 85. 10. It was there He satisfied the righteous demands of a holy God, paid the awesome price for sin, and ‘made peace through the blood of his cross’, Col. 1. 20. We can say ‘the chastisement of our peace was upon him’, Isa. 53. 5.

Our Saviour offers peace. Through His cross work we have been made right. ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God’, Rom. 5.1. In the upper room, He said, ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid’, John. 14. 27.

Our God has promised, ‘the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus’, Phil. 4. 7. We hear military strategists explaining their tactics and speaking of battles for ‘hearts and minds’. The peace of God will ‘garrison’ our hearts and minds. This is a military expression and our God is able to guard our hearts and minds against all the onslaughts of the evil one. Are we under attack just now? Do we wonder why our God allows these circumstances? Well, the peace of God experienced in our hearts surpasses understanding. It is better than knowing the reason why! Isaiah wrote, ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee’, 26. 3. Let us meditate today on the, ‘King of Peace’, and, as our hearts are stayed on Him, may we experience, perhaps as never before, the peace of God garrisoning our hearts.