A Vision of Peace

An Advent reading for December 4.

Stephen Crotts

Week 2: The Prince of Peace


Amid the pain and violence of our world, we hold fast to this hope: One day Jesus will usher in true and ultimate peace. He also brings us spiritual peace in the here and now as we experience redemption and live by the values of his kingdom. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

Read Isaiah 2:1–5 and 9:6–7

Perhaps the greatest evidence that the Promised One is the Mighty God is this: He is the one—the only one—with a power great enough to bring lasting peace. He not only brings peace, he is peace. The Prince of Peace.

We are, of course, accustomed to a world in which peace is maddeningly elusive. In 2003, journalist Chris Hedges set out to determine whether there have been any sustained periods of peace on the human record. Defining war as any “active conflict that has claimed more than 1,000 lives,” he reviewed 3,400 years of history and discovered just 268 war-free years. In other words, approximately 92 percent of recorded history is marked by active conflict.

Of course, the people of ancient Israel did not need a journalist to tell them that human existence is plagued by wars and rumors of wars. They had plenty of firsthand, trauma-inducing experience with conflict, violence, and oppression. What they did need was a prophet who could provide them with a vision of peace vivid enough to counter the horrific images already seared into their memories.

Isaiah brought them—and us—just such a vision. Consider the images in the second chapter of Isaiah. All the nations come streaming together to the mountain of God. That’s where they discover that the supposed dichotomy between peace and justice has been false all along. The Lord brings peace through justice. He judges between the nations and settles disputes, resolving not only wars but also their underlying causes.

And then watch what happens when humans find themselves in the presence of the Prince of Peace: The swords and spears they’ve brought to the mountain—weapons they’ve long assumed were necessary to their survival—seem suddenly out of place. The people lay down their arms. But the Prince of Peace has something even more beautiful in mind. Soon, the people are working together to convert their weapons into gardening tools. Human ingenuity is redeemed and redirected from destructive ends to creative ends.

Isaiah is not naive. He has seen the brutality that can and does characterize the human condition. But he’s also caught a glimpse of the verdant, vibrant, peace-infused future the Prince of Peace has planned for his creation. It’s the sort of vision that gives a weary prophet hope—a vision about the sort of prince who will one day cause angels to exclaim, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).

Carolyn Arends is a recording artist, an author, and the director of education for Renovaré. Her most recent album is In the Morning.

Meditate on Isaiah 2:1–5 and 9:6–7.


What most strikes you about Isaiah’s vision of peace? How does this hope speak into our world today? Pray, expressing praise to the promised Prince of Peace.

Also in this issue

As we worship at the manger, may we marvel that this very child is the Mighty God, he is the Prince of Peace, and he is the Light of the World. He is the one who came to die. He is the one who rose triumphant, who ascended, and who will keep his promise to come again in glory. He will enact justice and bring to culmination his kingdom of peace. He is Immanuel, God with us.

The Beautiful Paradox

Jesus Is Our Peace

Born to Be Bruised

Our Jubilean Hope

The Healing Peace of Jesus

Peaceful Rest

The Prince of Shalom

The Greatest Hope of All

The Judge Who Is Faithful & True

Jesus Will Reign

Jesus Deserves All the Attention

Christ, the Everlasting Lord

For to Us a Child Is Born...

God of Mercy and Power

The Invitation of Incarnation

Unfather Christmas

Waiting On a Promise

He Shines in the Darkness

Christ in Ten Thousand Places

Delivered from Darkness

A Frightening and Freeing Light

The Light Leading Us Home

Salvation and Love

A Light Has Dawned

True Cleansing

A Path Through the Wilderness

Light of the World, Hope of the Nations

Christmas Day

Seeing Jesus, They Knew

A Flock of Shepherds

View issue

Our Latest

Testimony

I Demolished My Faith for ‘My Best Life.’ It Only Led to Despair.

Queer love, polyamory, and drugs ruined me. That’s where Jesus found me.

The Book Screwtape Feared Most

Once a bedrock Christian classic, Boethius’s “Consolation of Philosophy” has been neglected for decades. It’s time for a revival.

Being Human

Airport Anxiety and Purposeful Publishing with Joy Allmond

CT’s executive editor learned to care for people as a 9/11-era flight attendant.

Paving the Way For God’s Perfect Plan

John the Baptist reveals the call for preparation.

The Song of Mary Still Echoes Today

How the Magnificat speaks to God’s care for the lowly.

How Insecurity Thwarts a Kingdom

Herod’s violence reveals the futility of earthly power.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube