The Prince Of Peace In Days Of Unrest

*This article was originally published in the Owensboro Messenger Inquirer, the Hopkinsville New Era, and the Cadiz Record.*

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

-Luke 1:31-33

If there were ever a time we needed peace, it is now.  Last month we celebrated Christmas, a reminder that the Prince of Peace has come.  This month we have experienced political and social unrest unlike we have ever experienced.  We need the message of Christmas now more than ever.  In Christmas, we are reminded that Jesus rules over a kingdom that will never be shaken.

But, Jesus' Kingship wasn't just announced at the first Nativity.  Easter is also a reminder that Jesus is the King of the Universe.  Consider the words Jesus spoke right before His ascension to Heaven, “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18).  Abraham Kuyper, a Christian pastor, summed it up well, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, 'Mine!'” 

This reality speaks to the present anxiety in our world.  Many have experienced turmoil with who would govern the USA.  But the Bible sends this headline across the world, "We have a Greater King with a greater kingdom."  The One on the White Throne makes the one in the White House look like a measly little ant.  The nations are but a drop in the bucket before God.  

Presidents will come and go within four (or eight) years. Congressmen, though it may seem like they stay forever, will eventually retire.  But Jesus Christ isn't up for election.  He isn’t ever going to be vacated.  He will never retire.  The Prince of Peace is the King of a government that will go on and on and on.   

No matter how out of control life may feel, the Christian hope is that the Son of God sustains all things by the Word of His Power and the authority of His Kingship. He is called "Prince of Peace" because unlike political leaders, the Kingdom of God produces peace rather than petty partisanship in its citizens. He gives a "peace which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7) because though this world will have trouble, He has overcome the world (John 16:33).   For believers, the government of Jesus is an anchor within the stormy waves of the world. 

Where is our hope in days of political uncertainty?  Our ultimate hope must be in a kingdom that is not of this world with a King who is without sin.  This King has come and His name is Jesus Christ.  Some trust in donkeys and some in elephants, may we trust in the kingdom of the Lamb of God (Psalm 20:7).  

I believe Martin Luther put it best in his famous hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God", 

"And though this world, with devils filled,

Should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed

His truth to triumph through us...

His Kingdom is forever."