Let the Prince of Peace Reign in Your Heart

I am so honored to have my fellow blogger Bailey Suzio from The Thin Place sharing this week. The following is an excerpt from her upcoming Advent devotional, “His Name Shall Be Called.” Click here to sign-up to receive a personal copy of the ebook upon its release!

When the birth of Jesus was announced to the shepherds, there was a proclamation of peace on earth to those whom His favor rests. His Kingdom is set in peace. That is His identity.

He could have been proclaimed to the shepherds by any number of names.

He would have been the Prince of Love or Joy or Might. But He didn’t choose any of those. Instead, He chose to be known as Peace.

How is His peace functioning in your life today? Are you resting in the promise that He is coming to bring you Peace?

I cry for peace but if you looked at my days, you would see my actions rarely reflect this desire. Instead, they reflect hunger for recognition, a need for work, and a passion for Netflix. I am like a dog chasing after an ever moving bone on a string.

If I just have a better organizing system or more downtime, a more compliant husband or more helpful coworkers, money to hire a maid or that dream job, then there will be peace. But inevitably, even when my husband is an angel and the pieces all fall into place, that does not result in peace.

We all have fallen short. Mistakes mark my life in many ways but I know I’m not alone.

I am snippy when I should be gracious. Instead of calmly opening my home for others, I yell at my husband to clean just a certain way before opening our doors to welcome friends for a Christmas party celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace.

I am a mess.

I’m sure you feel it too. Life weighs and aches and pulls as we try get ahead enough to breath. Is breathing the place where we find peace? If we can just get a break from the hustle and bustle of this season, will things fall into place? I am becoming more convinced that peace is not a destination, it is a person.

We cannot create peace in our lives, we can only meet Him. Share on X

It’s not in grand halls, it’s beside a manger and at the foot of the cross where we see what it means to truly know Peace.

Because when I meet Him there, when I see the sacrifice of the Man who left the throne rooms of Heaven for the straw-filled manger, I know I am loved. I am blessed with Peace not because of my works but in spite of them. My status before God is secure, and from that truth my life is flooded with peace. It is truly amazing love.

The Prince of Peace isn’t superficial. He wages war in our hearts against the sin that has controlled us for so long. Because we can’t belong to two kingdoms. We can’t devote ourselves to the Prince of Peace while we are still chasing after the idols of success and self.

But Peace knows that we don’t chase after Him of our own accord, so He came to us.

Let Him drawn near to your heart this season. Soak yourself in His goodness and mercy. He has lavished love upon you through His life and sacrificial death. Rest in that truth and center your life around that Peace.

If you would like to cultivate an atmosphere of Peace this Advent, join us in studying the names of Christ through the book, “His Name Shall Be Called.”