Dave's Diary

Daily Reading: Isaiah 9:1-7

When the Assyrian Empire invaded Israel and Judah seven hundred years before Christ, it was the northern region of Galilee (the ancestral home of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali) that took the brunt of their initial assault. They must have felt, as Isaiah 8:22 prophesied, that they had been thrust into utter darkness. Perhaps this is why God promised through Isaiah 9:1-5 that this region would also receive the light of the Messiah’s ministry first. And indeed, Jesus ministered in Galilee first and spent the bulk of His ministry there (See Matthew 4:12-17).

Isaiah 9:6 describes the ministry of the Messiah in the most beautiful way:

“He will be called
    Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

There is much to be said about this verse, of course, but for today let’s marvel at the Messianic title, “Prince of Peace”.

Through His life, death and resurrection, as well as through the ongoing ministry of His Spirit, Jesus the Messiah opened the way for humanity to be at peace with God. As Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This peace with God in turn opens up the possibility of peace between people of every nation, ethnicity and language, as we are drawn into the one Family of God. As Ephesians 2:14-18 explains, by bringing both Jews and Gentiles home to God, Jesus destroyed the dividing wall between us, “thus making peace“. When people previously at enmity with one another have the Lordship of Jesus in common, peace with one another can always be achieved in the power of His Spirit.

And Jesus also made a way for the believer to experience the deep, inner peace that flows from an unhindered relationship with God. With the barrier of our sins removed, the Spirit of Peace can move in power to minister to us whenever we experience anxiety, fear, despair or inner turmoil.

Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, I praise You for sacrificing Your life to make it possible for me to be at peace with God as my Father, with my Christian siblings of every tribe, language and nation, and within myself. Please breathe Your Spirit of peace into me. Fill me with Your peace. Fill me with the power to live at peace with others. Fill me with the precious gift of Your peace within. Amen.