My Lord, my God, My Jehovah Shalom
Excerpt from my poem – The Names of God
The Master who brings peace to my home
Chaos may reign in the world all around.
Christ’s perfect peace will my heart surround.
I sleep each night soundly, safe in my bed.
Sweet dreams of His peace filling my head.
Definition
The Smith Bible dictionary defines Jehovah Shalom as “Jehovah is peace” or “Jehovah, the God of peace.” Shalom also gets translated as absence from strife. The actual name Jehovah Shalom only appears once. It is found in the Book of Judges. But, the word Shalom appears over 170 times throughout the rest of the Bible. And, Jesus Himself teaches us about a life of peace.
Story of Gideon
In the Book of Judges, we find Gideon thrashing wheat in hiding. The Israelites are under attack once again by neighboring tribes because of their unfaithfulness to God. God appears to Gideon and prepares him to save Israel. Once Gideon sees God, he believes he will now die, but God reassures him in verse 23; “But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” Gideon then built an altar at the spot and named it Jehovah Shalom.
Jehovah send peace, the name which Gideon gave to the altar he erected on the spot at Ophrah where the angel appeared to him – Judges 6:24.
Gideon prepares to fight with 32,000 men. Slowly, God asks Gideon to send groups of men home until only a mere 300 men remain to fight. Gideon wins the battle against the enemies of Israel. Because God used only a small army, He demonstrated that the battle victory belongs to Him and not of human hands. Once again, God brought peace to the land and His people.
God’s Peace for Us
This name of God does not mean all life will be peaceful. Instead, it means Jehovah Shalom gives us His peace even in the midst of turmoil. Wars, famines, and many other forces of darkness surround us today as they did in Biblical times. Our hearts can become overwhelmed with fear and distress. We can feel like Gideon, questioning why God has not kept us from calamity. Our peace comes from trusting God’s faithfulness and promises. Our enemy whispers his lies into our ears while God speaks peace to our heart. Whom will you believe?
[bctt tweet=”Our peace comes from trusting God’s faithfulness and promises. Our enemy whispers his lies in ears while God speaks peace to our heart. Whom will you believe?.”]
How does God give us peace? Like Gideon, we need to pray for God’s peace and trust in His outcome. Just like last week’s study showed us, the answer will not always be the one we want. But we must trust the Master’s plan to receive His peace. Peace comes from learning to say “Thy will be done” when our hearts start to fear.
My Fears
Years ago, my fear of flying started from an incident on a plane. So, for many years, I flew white-knuckled, especially when turbulence shook the plane. I prayed for God to stop all the turbulence, but many times, it just kept happening. My heart raced, and my palms sweated each time I planned a trip. Finally, one day, I changed my prayer. I prayed for the Lord’s peace to fill my heart. I started trusting God was with me and protecting me no matter what happened around me. My fears eased when I trusted God to change me even as the turbulence continued. Jehovah Shalom became real to me.
[bctt tweet=”Peace comes from learning to say “Thy will be done” when our hearts start to fear.”]
What fears lurk in your heart today? How can Jehovah Shalom calm those fears? Adjust your prayers from asking God to change the circumstances to asking God to change you. The change might take time, keep trusting. One day, His peace will fill you and sustain you. Our Bibles also provide us with many verses to help us remember God’s promises of peace. Below, I include some of those verses to help you feel God’s peace.
Bible Verses for Reference
Psalm 85:8 – I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly.
Ephesians 2:14 – For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.
Isaiah 9:6 – For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 26:12 – LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.
Psalm 46:1-3 – God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 – Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
Deuteronomy 31:8 – The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
God’s peace is not like the peace of the world. With Jehovah Shalom, we can be confident that all things will work together for our good when we trust in the Lord (Romans 8:28 paraphrased). Receiving God’s peace can start with us learning to pray for a changed heart instead of changed circumstances.
Join me next week as we wrap up this study on the names of God.
Blessings,
Yvonne – #blogger, #speaker, and #author
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
100% of the proceeds from sales of my book, Turning Mountains Into Molehills, go to help the orphans at Orphan Relief Effort, Inc
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Yes, Yvonne. God’s peace is one of the most comforting things about His character. Yet, we often wonder how to obtain it. His peace is the best peace available and better than anything the world offers us. I like how you said that like Gideon, we simply ask God for His peace. And we trust Him to bring peace in the midst of any turmoil. Especially, asking, desiring, and being okay with His will to be done in our lives…this brings great peace we can never muster up in our own power.
Very well put Karen. We must trust Him to bring peace to our hearts. His peace is one the world can not understand. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7 NIV
Great reminder that, even in the times we are facing now, our God is the God of peace!
He is our peace when we put our trust in Him. Happy 4th
Amen. His peace is the most comforting.
Amen. Thanks
I love a definition of shalom that I heard from someone else: nothing missing, noting broken. That will be what God gives us when He comes back–or when we go to Him.
And I love what you’ve written here: “This name of God does not mean all life will be peaceful. Instead, it means Jehovah Shalom gives us His peace even in the midst of turmoil.”
I love the definition you used, nothing missing and nothing broken. What a wonderful hope in those wise words. Thanks for sharing them. God bless
This is so beautiful and comforting. I, too, used to get terrified when I flew. I felt so vulnerable not being in “control.” Then I realized I’m never in control: GOD is.
Amen my sister. Thanks Jessica
Beautiful post, Yvonne. Thank you for the scriptures. I like the change you made in your prayer, “I prayed for the Lord’s peace to fill my heart.” Peace is robbed from us when our heart is angry, worried, or depressed. We can often be our own enemy. Thank you for this reminder! 🙂
Thanks Marcie. I appreciate your thoughts on fear. It does rob of us our peace. God bless
I love the point you made about Shalom in the midst of fear. I memorized Psalm 91 when I used to have debilitating asthma attacks; it kept the fear at bay and helped the medicine do its job. Shabbat shalom!
I love Psalm 91, I have read it often too. So much comfort in it. Shabbat Shalom