When everything seems to happen at once, can we find true peace?
I have always wondered what someone that does not speak English thinks when they hear words from our language. I have never been fluent in any other language but have taken courses in Spanish during high school. While on our honeymoon in Mexico I loved that I could understand this other language. When I was a very young girl we had a satellite dish that allowed us to watch programs from Canada. I would watch Sesame Street in French and then later in the day in English. Even then, I thought that words in other languages seemed so much more interesting than the boring words that I knew. As my faith has grown and my eagerness to study the “Word” my love for the Hebrew language has continued to fascinate me. It amazes me how scriptures when traced back to Hebrew or Greek can take on much more character. It’s like the words in English are black and white but when they are in their original form they have a million colors to describe the word.
Have you ever been acquainted with a word and then all of a sudden it seems to start popping up all around you? It may be that you have never taken notice and its always been there. Or, it may be that God is placing this word in your life so that you will take notice. I have recently had this happen to me and the word has literally brought me “peace”.
A few days ago I was reading a reading plan in my Bible app. The word shalom started to appear to me in all sorts of ways. I am very familiar with this word but wanted to remind myself of its meaning. This beautiful Hebrew word is used many different ways. In English the simplest translation is peace. As you get to know the word more intimately it means so much more. Then, today, I was listening to a radio program during my lunch hour. I was sitting in my car, alone, eating a salad, and the preacher on the radio starts a whole sermon on shalom! I know what you are thinking. That’s just a coincidence. Let me tell you why I think not. Everyone goes through peaks and valleys in their life of trials. Right now, my little family is in one of the valleys. Sometimes we have obstacles that come and go. I feel like the valleys sometimes are so hard to get out of because the trials are not alone. It seems they are usually accompanied by other trials. Sometimes they can all even be equally large trials all happening at the same time. We are in one of these times. The amazing thing is that I have felt a supernatural peace during it all. Several years ago if I would have experienced this amount of trials I would have felt like my life was in total CHAOS! As this word kept appearing I know it was God letting me know that the peace I felt was not just any peace, but– Shalom.
Wikipedia describes Shalom as a Hebrew word meaning peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye.
http://www.wikipedia.com
I have prayed and been praying about these different obstacles. These are things that I really have no control over. In my past I used to worry and struggle with things that I really had no control over. I would work myself into a hot mess and tear my stomach to pieces. As my faith has grown, I have realized that some things in life we do not have control. The only one that has control in these times is God. I have learned to pray and fully trust God within these times and know that He has a purpose and a plan. This is another one of these things that is sometimes easier to say than to do. But I try my best to “do”. One of my favorite verses comes to mind when thinking of these times. Actually, I have this on the wall in my dining room. My sweet momma pointed it out to me this weekend, as it spoke to her also during these trials.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
If you have read any of my other articles you know that I have found comfort in different names for God. During this time I find comfort in the name Jehovah Shalom. Because He is the God of Peace. He is the Lord in Peace. He is the Lord our Peace.
In closing, I hope that the next time that you feel stressed or when things are out of your control, instead of giving into the chaos, please pray and know that we can have peace. We can have peace when we trust in the only one that is the God of our Peace.
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20 NIV
God bless and Shalom
Tiffany Shepherd 