Advent Prayer – Peace

You made a promise long ago:

Peace was promised to Isaiah.

Peace was promised to your people.

Israel expected a prince

Born into privilege and power,

But received a babe,

Born into a lowly stable.

There was no room in the inns,

No room in their hearts for a poor carpenter father

And his humble wife,

Dirty from traveling dusty roads.

Your Son, their prince,

Fed the masses,

Healed the blind,

Dined with cheaters,

And rebuked their leaders.

Where was their prince?

Where was their peace?

They expected a lion to silence the roaring jaws of oppression and affliction,

But your son, their prince, Jesus,

Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

Opened not His mouth.

On that dark day of the cross,

When the curtain in the temple tore,

The Promised Prince gave up His spirit.

All was chaos.

Peace seemed distant.

As soldiers jeered, a mother’s tears

Fell softly in the night.

But that was not the end.

Your promises would be kept.

Your son did not stay on the cross,

He did not stay in the tomb.

He is a prince after all, a Prince of Peace.

He is the Lion.

He is the Lamb.

In him, the two are met—

The gentle and humble,

The power and might,

The babe and the Savior,

The flesh and the God.

We find peace in Your Son, who hung in our place.

Who put His hands where ours belonged,

On the rough wood of a cross.

He cancelled the roar of our guilt with the might of His silence,

So that we could know You, our God.

He rose from the darkness of the tomb,

Conquering death with His light.

He is our promised peace.

Our Prince is waiting for His people.

We will embrace Him, our Wonderful Counselor,

Press our faces to His holy robe,

And find our Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Our perfect Prince of Peace.