Peace: Day 23
Roar!
By Susan Ploughe

“And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.”
Luke 2:12-14 NASB

Many Christmas pageants include angelic choruses made up of adorable little children being coaxed to sing. Others present an impressive choir of several hundred voices. These programs are beautiful and moving, but perhaps they have skewed our thinking about this event.

That night, the shepherds saw “a multitude of the heavenly army of angels.”

How many angels are there in a multitude? The apostle John got a glimpse of what that number could have been: “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. (Revelation 5:11, NIV)

Whoa.

The angels burst on the scene; no coaxing needed. They were not a choir; they were an army. Warriors. Protectors. Servants of Almighty God.

Imagine the sound that vast army of angels must have made as they praised God. “Saying” can also be translated as “joyfully shouted” or “resoundingly cried.” What we portray as a refined, melodic chorus was probably more like the roaring cheer of a legion of soldiers. Hear them as they shout to God, praising Him for the baby in a manger – the crowning display of His mercy and faithfulness, His power and victory.

They were not wishing for peace on earth — they knew it had come; soldiers on a battlefield recognize Peace when they see Him.

This baby was the same Jesus through whom everything was created. The same Jesus who would one day say, “in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV). The same Jesus who, when He “comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, will sit on his throne in heavenly glory” (Matthew 25:31, NIV).

That night, the angels did more than pass along the good news of peace; they showed us how to experience it. Their instinctive response to this decisive, world-changing event was to worship Jesus, God-with-us, Peace on Earth, Glory to God in the highest.

Roar! Peace comes when we give glory to God.

Pray

I praise You, Almighty God, for Your mercy and faithfulness, Your power and victory. Thank You, Jesus, for coming to earth so that I might have Your peace. Remind me, when I am facing battles in this life, to fix my attention on You, so I may claim and enjoy the perfect peace that is already mine because of who You are.

Act

Pump gas for someone so they can sit in their car.

Purchase something thoughtful (a plant, a candle, chocolates) and leave it at your next door neighbor’s door (either with a signed note or anonymously).

Let faith bring a perfect peace to your anxious heart. Listen to this song and pass it along to someone who needs God’s peace.

Family Application

Roast marshmallows for s’mores while looking up at the stars—the same ones the shepherds saw! Or make them in the oven and eat them by candlelight. (Luke 2:8)