He is Peace
December 14th, 2020
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
And he will be our peace
when the Assyrians invade our land
and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
even eight commanders,
Micah 5:2-5, NIV
Are you not still drawn to awe when you read words predicting the birth of Jesus? Micah wrote these words over 700 years before Jesus arrived on the scene. 700 years. Over and over, these prophets, big and small, were preparing the nations to receive Jesus, and those sensitive enough to stay vigilant recognized the Prince of Peace when he came.
“He will be their peace” feels different for this year. I feel myself reading with desperation attached. A simple prayer feeling so heavy:
Bring us peace.
Bring us sanity.
Bring us unity.
But God nudged me to take a closer look. If we ask Jesus to just bring us something, it feels a bit impersonal. It’s as if we can just ask for something, He will bring it, then take off for His next holy errand. God wants us to know Jesus isn’t just the “bringer of peace.” He is Peace. We have to be needy for Jesus and need His Peace by needing Him. It felt like God wanted to rephrase it:
Be our peace.
Be our sanity.
Be our unity.
And then I reread the passage, and it literally said that the first time. I just totally missed it: Jesus is our Peace.
Do you call on Jesus for Him to bring you peace, or do you call on Jesus for Him to be your peace?
Prayer: God, thank You for Your perseverant heart for us, that You continue to be our peace, even when we have blinded ourselves to seeing You as the source. Forgive us for when we choose to see other things before You, good and bad. Help us to remember you in those moments. Amen.
Christina Schirtzinger
