Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom God’s favor rests.” Luke 2:13-14
Lord Jesus, as I meditate on the angels’ bold, bodacious, and beautiful declaration, I want to weep, dance, fall down in worship, get up and dance some more. It’s all right there in this one doxological decree—this heart-enflaming, Gospel-saturated announcement. “Peace to those on whom God’s favor rests.”
Everything our hearts long for, and more than we could imagine… because of you and everything you’ve done for us, we can know with certainty that our heavenly Father isn’t just “okay” with us, but that we now live in his perfect, always-there, thoroughgoing favor. You took the disfavor we deserve to give us the delight we cannot imagine. You took the disgrace of our rebellion, sin, and idolatry to give us the full-grace of Abba’s acceptance, forgiveness, and delight. The peace we crave can only be found in the favor you give, Jesus.
We invest so much energy looking for favor—hoping to be seen and known, craving connection, wanting to be wanted, longing to be validated and valued—by peers, a spouse, a lover, our kids, parents, colleagues and the list goes on. But the favor of people will never be enough. Hallelujah, for the Gospel!
No peace compares with Gospel-peace. Even if there were no wars in the world, no fights in our families, no hostilities in our hearts—without the favor of God there is no peace. Just a temporary absence of conflict, a fragile truce between combatants, a pause to reload anger and ammunition for the next round. Jesus, there won’t be—there can’t be peace on earth, or peace in a heart, until you, the Prince of Peace reign there. So Very Amen.