Peace can sometimes seem elusive in our busy, noisy, and messy worlds.
Peace doesn’t depend on our circumstances. It doesn’t depend on what’s happening in the world. It doesn’t even depend on how we are feeling. Peace depends on a Person.
A Listening Heart
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Peace is a Person. Peace is Jesus. He is called the Prince of Peace.
The Hebrew word for peace is Shalom. Shalom means more than just feeling tranquil and calm. Shalom means wholeness/completeness.
Jesus is our wholeness. Jesus completes us as human beings. Jesus enables us to be all we are meant to be. Without Jesus as our Prince of Peace, we won’t experience the fullness for which we have been created. Jesus is the source of all peace.
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Living with peace is to live in the very presence of the One who is peace. Paul tells us in the book of Ephesians that Jesus himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). Regardless of what we are facing today, if we give the Prince of Peace free access, we will experience a peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)
The Greek word for peace in the New Testament, Eirene, also means wholeness. Often when Jesus healed someone, He would say “go in peace”. Healing and peace are intrinsically linked.
To experience Shalom or Eirene is to experience health, satisfaction, success, safety, well-being, contentment, and prosperity in all areas of life. God’s heart is for us to be healed. To be made whole and complete. To walk in peace.
Being in the presence of the One who is Shalom provides us with all we need to be the person He wants us to be and to live the life He wants us to live.
After Jesus’ resurrection, He found His disciples huddled in an upstairs room full of fear. Walking through a locked door, unnerving them even more, Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you’. Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!’ ‘My Lord and my God!’ Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, ‘You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.’ (John 20:26-29)
Fear fuels unbelief and robs us of peace.
Jesus asked Thomas to place his finger in His wounds. Those wounds brought healing to Thomas’ mind, heart, and emotions. Those wounds brought peace. Jesus’ wounds bring healing and peace to our places of fear, hurt, confusion, turmoil, unforgiveness, and unbelief.
The cross gives us access to the Prince of Peace. (Colossians 3:15). The cross defeats fear and unbelief and fuels peace and faith. His wounds heal our wounds and release peace so that our wounds can become a source of healing and peace to others.
In the presence of the Prince of Peace, there’s no room for shame, only peace, and healing.
And the effect of righteousness will be peace [internal and external], and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever. (Isaiah 32:17)
Paul said to the Christians at Philippi: Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)
The Prince of Peace wants to give us His perfect gift – peace of mind and heart. We won’t find this gift anywhere else but in the very presence of the One who is Peace. (John 14:27).
Prayer: Father, thank you for the gift of peace through your Son, Jesus. Thank you that peace today is not elusive. I can find it in your presence. Prince of Peace, I want to walk with you today. I give you free access to everything I am facing. Release your gift of peace in my life, my home, my circumstances, my family, my friends. May I be full of peace today so that I can bring peace to others. Thank you that I can experience perfect peace of mind and heart when I look to you. What an incredible gift I have in you, the Prince of Peace. Amen.
Further encouragement: Isaiah 26:3, Isaiah 48:17-18, Romans 8:5-6, Philippians 4:4-7
This post is a part of our series on Encountering God by Name. Jehovah Shalom is written by my friend, Paige Squirrell.
Paige Squirrell’s desire is to see God’s Presence released in the lives of ordinary people. She longs to see God’s people become whole, walk in the freedom that is theirs in Christ, and fulfill the purpose He has for each one. Based in Norfolk, United Kingdom, she is a passionate and gifted teacher, worship leader and writer. Paige is a joint senior leader of Beacon Church alongside her husband Jonathan, is a licensed minister of The Apostolic Network of Global Awakening and has four incredible adult children. Find out more about Paige here.
