"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
As I said in a previous post, it fascinates me that the title "The Prince of Peace" comes at the end of a list that appears to be written in ascending order of importance. Why is this?
"Peace" equals a lack of conflict, contention, struggle, strife, etc. Spiritual peace, therefore, is a condition - a calmness and stillness that can be shared with others and change their very existence. Being totally peaceful means acting always in harmony with how one should act - never being in conflict with the standards of what one should be. With this definition, one can be spiritually peaceful even while engaged in a battle - or clearing a temple with a whip - etc. It's a fine line - and it is dependent entirely on being in touch with the Holy Ghost. Being "at peace" is analogous to being "right with God" - of having all impediments to perfection removed and being able to access God's full grace with nothing standing in the way.
"The Prince of Peace" is a perfect description of the one who brings people into a unity with God that is known as "The Atonement" - the making of two otherwise incompatible entities one perfectly united whole. It is not "The mighty God" or even "The everlasting Father" who makes this incomprehensible result a reality; rather, it is "The Prince of Peace".
The Party Crasher
5 days ago
1 comment:
Ray, I've been reading a lot the past two weeks in the 1930s-era Relief Society Magazines and discovering how deeply involved they were in calling for peace, not only from the LDS pulpits but in joining with national and international organizations in an effort to promote peace.
There is a different feeling to their work from that I usually sense in mere political calls for peace. I think the difference may be what you note here -- the Relief Society sisters were not engaging in politics or making ordinary pronouncements on current events. They were following the Prince of Peace.
(By the way, I like the new format of your blog -- bite sized pieces of thought)
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