One of my favorite traditional Christmas carols is “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.”
It came upon the midnight clear / That glorious song of old, From angels bending near the earth / To touch their harps of gold! Peace on the earth, good will to men / From heaven’s all gracious King! The world in solemn stillness lay / To hear the angels sing.
Ah, but if we are honest, we must admit there is no peace on this earth. Daily we see war in nations, battles on social media and in government, discord in families and among friends and neighbors. We are always at odds with someone. We long for the “peace on earth, good will to men” that the Christmas carols remind us of each year. Have we mistaken the message of the angels?
No, not mistaken, but perhaps misinterpreted? The old KJV says, “On earth peace, good will toward men.” The NIV says, “On earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” The NLT says, “Peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” [Luke 2:14]
None promises a world-wide, all-encompassing peace—at least not yet. The promise of peace sung by the angels, flowing from heaven’s all gracious King, is not a general peacefulness with prosperity and a trouble-free life. Scripture is clear, our most fundamental need for peace is peace with God. We have been at war with God since the rebellion in the Garden. We are hostile to Him and His rule in our lives. We do everything we can to keep control for ourselves. There is no peace on earth because there is no peace with God.
But that all changed that night. Peace was now born into this world. The true peace had come and will never depart – that true peace lives in the hearts of all those who accept God’s offer. We now look forward to a time when the King of King comes to reign and all war will be banished forever. Only then will true peace be world-wide and all-encompassing. We look forward to that time …
When peace shall over all the earth / Its ancient splendors fling / And all the world give back the song / Which now the angels sing.
