Finding Peace This Christmas
The Nobel Peace Prize has an explosive backstory. Its creator, Alfred Nobel, a Swedish businessman, awoke one morning to discover he had been declared dead—the morning’s newspaper had mistakenly published his obituary. A journalist confused Alfred, who was still very much alive, with his brother, who had actually died. Yet what really upset Alfred was that according to the obituary, the world would remember him as “the merchant of death”. Alfred was the inventor of dynamite. He had hoped it would benefit humankind, and in some ways it did, but like most things, we humans found more destructive ways to use it.
Alfred didn’t want to be remembered this way so, in his will, he established plans for a prize that would honour someone who contributed toward global peace. Each year on the 10th of December, the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in his name. Despite the work of those recognised by this award, our world has yet to find a peace that lasts and wars rage to this day.
Pain, anger, and anxiety dwell within us, and we never seem to find any lasting peace.
Even with our best efforts, peace eludes us, even at Christmas, “the season of peace on earth and goodwill to all”. We struggle to find peace not just globally, but in our own homes. Peace eludes our hearts too. Pain, anger, and anxiety dwell within us, and we never seem to find any lasting peace.
So how can we find peace this Christmas? Well, mankind has tried to manufacture peace for itself, but that obviously hasn’t worked. The Bible agrees. It suggests that we find peace by receiving it as a gift. At the first Christmas, the message was, “Peace to those on whom his favour rests”. [1] The Bible speaks of an uncomfortable truth that we are at war with God, rebelling against him as we go our own way. Yet the amazing thing is that God has made the first move in the peace talks and sent his Son Jesus into the world to bring peace between us and him. God has broken down the walls that divide us from him and made a peace offering to us. If we accept his offer of peace, then God’s peace can invade our hearts. We can find peace with God, and that peace can fill our hearts and overflow into the world. Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you… do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” [2] The Bible assures us that lasting peace is possible even in this troubled world. This may sound far-fetched, and that’s okay. But what if it’s true? The chance of finding genuine peace is surely too important to ignore this Christmas. Whether you’re uncertain about what God is like, or whether you’ve never really thought about God, why not take a moment this Christmas to read the Bible? You may just discover that God is offering you an olive branch—one that could bring you lasting peace.
Discover more about Jesus
Christmas marks the moment when God entered our world in Jesus. He gave us the chance to find lasting peace with God that can still our restless, troubled hearts. Everyone who trusts Jesus enters a lasting and secure relationship with God. Having Jesus with us doesn’t mean that everything will be perfect, but it means we can have his supernatural peace, no matter what life throws at us. The peace he gives comes from the promise that he is with us, he will provide for us, and he will work everything out for good—even the seemingly disastrous stuff.
There’s so much more to discover about Jesus and the Bible. We’d like to encourage you to go along to a church service this Christmas or speak to a Christian if you know one.
Our Daily Bread Ministries is here for you, too. We are an organisation that loves talking about Jesus and the Bible and long for people to know God as their friend. Find out more about us on our website at odb.org. We also have an app. Just search for “Our Daily Bread” in your app store.
[1] This is from a book in the Bible about Jesus. It’s like a biography of Jesus. You can find it by searching online for Luke’s Gospel (this specific bit is from Luke 2:14).
[2] This is also from a book in the Bible about Jesus’ life You can find it by searching online for John 14:27.