He shall be their peace.
You can find peace.
The context of the book of Micah was one of great humiliation for the people of God. Foreigners had besieged Jerusalem, and the city’s people could barely lift a finger in their own defense. They longed for peace, but they found themselves in the midst of a war. They were a subjugated people, unable to gather troops together in order to fight back against the enemy. Theirs was a picture of absolute disgrace.
It must have been a very confusing time for God’s people. They were supposed to be a chosen people, set apart for God, the carriers of His great promise to bless and restore the world, but now it appeared that all that was about to be destroyed. They likely would have thought to themselves, Where are God’s promises?
It is in the midst of this perplexing scene that a light finally began to shine in the darkness. Though they were humiliated, the people of God received a glimmer of hope. The prophet Micah declared that the Messiah would come and stand in the place of authority, shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, and grant security to those who trust in Him (Micah 5:4). In Him, Micah said, they would finally find peace.
I have a little booklet in my house called Five Minutes’ Peace.[1] It tells the story of a mother elephant who just wants five minutes of peace away from her children—but as soon as she attempts to get peace, only more chaos ensues. This is surely something that every mother can identify with! In the midst of chaos, we long for a few moments of respite. So did God’s people—and during a time of great distress, the prophet Micah promised that the Messiah would come to finally bring them what they longed for.
While we all desire peace, it frequently seems unattainable. Look around you and you’ll see that true peace appears to be virtually absent globally, nationally, locally, and personally. You may be thinking to yourself, “If only I could just find peace. All I want is five minutes!”
Is your life marked by fractured relationships, financial distress, personal loss, and other disappointments? If so, there is good news for you: in the Messiah, Jesus, you will find genuine, lasting peace—peace first and foremost with God Himself and then peace with ourselves and in our relationships and communities, as we learn to reflect the God of peace in the way we approach tensions, difficulties, and conflicts. The Messiah has come to bring this peace to all who trust in Him. After all, He is the Prince of Peace. Whatever else you face, you can enjoy the peace with your Creator that He died to win. Then, knowing you are at peace with the only one whose opinion matters eternally, you will be able to walk out into your world to seek, by His grace, to live at peace.
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Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotional by Alistair Begg, published by The Good Book Company, thegoodbook.com. Used by Truth For Life with permission. Copyright © 2021, The Good Book Company.