When our world is falling apart, the peace we need isn’t merely the absence of conflict. What we need is an inner sense of wholeness of body, mind and spirit that transcends our circumstances. Only Jesus offers us this shalom: a better kind of peace.
Suzanne Montgomery
I remember the phone call from my son clearly. It was the kind of message no mama one wants to hear, especially when almost four hundred miles away. At that moment, nurses were transporting his pregnant wife into the OR for an emergency C-section. The baby’s heartbeat was good, but he was coming out feet first!
As a doctor, I knew too much. I was aware how dangerous this situation was for their child-my first grandson. Anxiety started to well up within me . . . but then, an unexpected peace pushed it back down. I said to my son, “Let’s pray, ” and we gave our worries to the Lord. Thank goodness, an update came quickly. Mom and baby did well. Everyone was safe.
Holding on to peace in the middle of a difficult situation sometimes feels like trying to contain water in a sieve. It simply doesn’t work. Peace must be founded on so much more than our own efforts to maintain stability. When our world is falling apart, the peace we need isn’t merely the absence of conflict. What we need is an inner sense of wholeness of body, mind and spirit that transcends our circumstances. Only Jesus offers us this shalom: a better kind of peace.
In the dictionary, shalom is defined as a Hebrew expression used as a greeting or a farewell. Most people also recognize shalom as a word for peace, but few understand its full meaning. If you delve a little further, you’ll find that the term has much deeper significance.
In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness and delight-a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.
Cornelius Plantinga, author
I don’t know about you, but most days I struggle just to avoid conflict and keep the peace in my own household. The promise of shalom feels like an unattainable dream. Nevertheless, Jesus gifts us this kind of peace. Read His Words from the Gospel of John.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Let not your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27 NIV
Even though conflict often surrounded His life on earth, Jesus kept a calmness of spirit that allowed Him to love those who persecuted Him. He showed an incomprehensible peace as He walked to the cross. In His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus is by far the greatest example of true shalom we’ll ever witness.
So, how do you and I internalize this shalom in a world full of frustration and trouble? No amount of counseling, meditation, or medication, allow me to master this on my own. Although these efforts are certainly helpful (and encouraged), they’re never quite enough.
I cannot master my emotional peace without help from The Master.
Lord, you will give perfect peace to anyone who commits himself to be faithful to you. That’s because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever. The Lord is the Rock. The Lord will keep us safe forever.
Isaiah 26:3-4 NIRV
This is true shalom: a trusting contentment with life as it is, tempered with the knowledge that someday it will be different. It doesn’t absolve us of the responsibility to fight against injustice but acknowledges that God is the ultimate judge who will right all wrongs in the end.
In my heart, I know this truth, yet I still tend to wander. I fall back into old habits, trusting in my own efforts once more, and then wonder why the cares of this world continue to overwhelm my peace. But, when I realign my priorities and set my whole trust in Jesus again, He infuses me with His perfect peace and love. His Shalom = a better kind of peace.
