Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way.
The Lord be with you all.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NKJV)
Series: His Name is Jesus
Some nights, peace feels impossible.
It feels impossible when you’re sitting in a hospital room, and the doctors cannot give you the answers you desperately want. It feels impossible when bills continue to rise. The future feels uncertain, and the weight of responsibility rests heavily on your shoulders. It feels impossible when you are carrying burdens that nobody else can see. Friends, to walk through these hard moments we must know Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
If I am honest, there have been seasons when I have cried out to the Prince of Peace not because I wanted peace, but because I wanted rescue. I wanted the diagnosis to change. I wanted the uncertainty to disappear. I wanted the storm to stop.
Perhaps you’ve prayed those prayers too. Your storm may look different from mine. It may be test results, grief, financial uncertainty, a prodigal child, or a future that feels frighteningly unclear. Different storms, but the same longing. We all want the waves to settle.
A few years ago, my husband spent two weeks in the hospital fighting for his life. There were moments when we did not know if he would come home. As a wife and mother, I tried to prepare my heart—and the hearts of our children—for a future I did not want to imagine. Even now, thinking about those days can make my chest tighten. It was one of the hardest seasons I have ever walked through.
Yet when I look back, I realize something surprising. The peace did not come when circumstances improved. The peace came when I remembered who was holding those circumstances.
For so much of my life, I believed peace lived on the other side of answered prayers. If God fixed the problem, then I could finally exhale. If the storm passed, then I could finally rest. If I knew how the story ended, then I could finally have peace.
But Scripture paints a different picture. Isaiah did not call Jesus the Solver of Problems. He called Him the Prince of Peace.
And Paul takes it even further in Ephesians 2:14 (NKJV) when he writes:
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
Paul clarifies in this passage that it is not that He gives peace or teaches peace, but He Himself is our Peace.
For years, I read that verse as if Paul had written that Jesus gives us peace. But that isn’t what he says. Peace is not merely a gift Christ hands us when life gets hard. Peace is a Person. And when the Prince of Peace is present, peace can exist even when the storm does not disappear.
That distinction changed everything for me.
When Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples experienced peace because the wind and waves obeyed Him. But another passage captured my attention over the years. We read in Matthew 14:25-33:
Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
Peter stepped out of a boat and walked on water. The storm was still raging. The waves were still crashing. The wind was still howling. Nothing about Peter’s circumstances changed. What changed was where Peter was looking. As long as his eyes remained fixed on Jesus, he did something that should have been impossible. But the moment his focus shifted to the wind and the surrounding waves, fear took over, and he sank.
I understand Peter more now than I did years ago. There have been many moments when the waves around me felt bigger than my faith. Moments when uncertainty, fear, grief, and anxiety threatened to pull me under. And like Peter, every time I have felt myself sinking, it was because I had shifted my focus from the One holding me to the storm surrounding me.
The beautiful thing is that Jesus never left Peter in the water. He reached down and lifted him up—and He still does.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Peace is not the absence of storms. Peace is the presence of Christ in the middle of them.
It is knowing that even when life feels out of control, nothing is outside of His control. It is trusting that the same God who holds the oceans in place is holding your life as well.
Whatever your situation is, the Prince of Peace offers something greater than temporary relief. He offers Himself. And perhaps that is why this name means so much to me.
Peace was never waiting for me on the other side of the storm—He was standing beside me in it.
Jesus offers this encouragement to us in John 16:33:
I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.
The Prince of Peace does not promise that we will never face troubled waters. But He promises that we will never face them alone.
When our eyes remain fixed on Him, we discover that true peace isn’t about having all the answers. Peace is the One who has been holding us all along. And if He has been faithful through every wave behind us, we can trust Him with every wave still ahead.
Holding Fast to Hope,
Steph
Scripture References: 2 Thessalonians 3:16; Romans 5:1; John 14:27, 16:33; Matthew 14:25-33
