Christ's Rule and Christ's Peace

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of His government and peace

There will be no end,

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,

To order it and establish it with judgment and justice

From that time forward, even forever.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:6-7

At the beginning of this year I wrote a blog post about the scriptures above, mentioning that my word for the year is peace. I also noted that I was surprised to read this same passage in The Message Bible and to discover that instead of the title Prince of Peace it says Prince of Wholeness. This sent me on a search of what the Hebrew lexicon said about the original word used and it is, of course, the Hebrew word shalom. While that didn't surprise me, I was surprised that the word shalom means, not just peace, but also wholeness and completeness. What an encouragement this discovery was to me, as God had already been speaking to my heart about the theme of rebuilding, restoration, completeness and wholeness. This was a confirmation to me of His dealings and direction.

We are over halfway through 2020, and I'm sure you'll agree with me when I say that this year has been a wild and crazy ride. It has not been a peace filled year, but it has been a year of learning to be peace filled in the midst of difficult circumstances. This week, God brought me back to Isaiah 9:6-7 and showed me an important connection about His peace that I hadn't made before.  (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, July 19th, at Woman to Woman Ministries, where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with:

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Susan B. Mead

Sue Moore Donaldson