For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

The name “Prince of Peace” is the Hebrew Shar Shalom, which means “the one who removes all peace-disturbing factors and secures the peace.” This sets Him apart from human rulers who secured peace through bloody battles. Jesus secured it through a bloody sacrifice.

The estrangement between God and His Creation began in the Garden of Eden.  Adam and Eve wanted more than what God offered. They bought the Serpent’s lie and opened their minds to the world of evil.  It was a world they were not wired to understand.  Evil corrupted them and they began to choose everything that God wouldn’t choose and to think all things God wouldn’t think. Alienation ensued and they were separated from God by a great gulf.  The peace they once enjoyed was swallowed up in shame and enmity. Reconciliation would never happen without a miracle.  

God’s answer?  Send Jesus to restore peace and to make the sinner what he once was ~ holy before God.  His mind could be washed of defilement and he could think and feel like the indwelling Spirit who inhabited him. Jesus went to the cross and prayed for sinners to own their sin, repent of it, so that He could bring them faultless to His Father. They would enjoy complete restoration and perfect peace – which is Shalom.

For each of us who call God our Father, this is our story. The Prince of Peace is no far off figure. He reigns and resides in our hearts. No shadows of estrangement remain.

Oh, Prince of peace, I am Yours and Shalom allows me to breathe in without anxiety. Amen