Panic or Peace?

Dr. Marc Drake, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Sun Lakes

On Christmas Day 1939, King George VI of England gave a brief radio address to the nation. England was already at war with Germany and soon all of Europe would be plunged into the horror of global warfare. As the storm clouds gathered, the King hoped to calm his citizens by offering words of encouragement. He ended his remarks by quoting a poem: “I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, ‘Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown!’” And he replied, “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

That’s a great word for our day. Numerous problems confront our nation and world, the greatest of which is spiritual. But believers can know that if God goes with us, we need not fear the future. You see, peace is not simply the absence of conflict; it is the presence of God. Corrie ten Boom, a Holocaust survivor, said this: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” So, as we soon enter the Christmas season, be encouraged by the words of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah who, in predicting the coming Messiah, said, “His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (9:6).

Let Jesus be to you all that His name proclaims. It has been said that every name He bears is a blessing He shares. Is your name anxiety? He can name you peace. Is your name addiction? He can name you freedom. Is your name rejection? He can name you acceptance. Is your name bitterness? He can name you love. Is your name fear? He can name you courage. Is your name guilt? He can name you forgiven.

What greater news could there be than the fact that in the fullness of time, God sent us the Savior? He is indeed the Prince of Peace. When the valley is the deepest and the night is the darkest and the uncertainty is the greatest, He is able to engulf us with His presence and say, “I am sufficient and I am with you.” When life is disorderly, dysfunctional, disruptive, and disturbing, He comes as the Prince of Peace. His Word and His touch change everything. Do you know Him?

It is important to remember that peace is available because of who Jesus is and what He accomplished. He is fully God and fully man and the Bible says that He made peace through the blood of His cross. Three days later, He rose from the dead. How much better, then, to know the Prince of Peace and what He provides than to be attached to a world that promises much but delivers little. May God’s joyous Shalom be yours during this season.