John 14:27 (BBE)
May peace be with you; my peace I give to you: I give it not as the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled; let it be without fear.
The Hebrew word Shâlôm spelt in English as Shalom, is translated to mean anything from peace to wellbeing, welfare, salutation of prosperity, health, safety, favour, and perfection in every area. In the majority usage of shalom, the translation peace expresses the sense of tranquillity, or a state of calm without anxiety or stress and is identified as the fruit of righteousness in Isaiah 32:17 and as a specific blessing from God in psalm 29:11.
Jesus the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6 brought peace into flesh, carried it on His Person (“My peace”) died to make it ours, left it as the heritage of His disciples upon earth, implanted and maintained by His Spirit in our hearts.
Christ is the Executor of His Testament; the peace He “leaves” He “gives”; in contrast with the world that gives us nothing but grief, anxiety, fear and stress, Christ gives sincerely, substantially, eternally. This should be a security blanket for us all.
To own a bible as a believer, to know we have it if we need it gives us a godly kind of peace but when we begin to read and understand it, we are then able to receive peace of mind and heart even during a storm.
When we apply what the word of God teaches, our lives become a fertile place where the peace in Christ can grow and once Jesus is made flesh in us, and we’ve come to trust the word completely, it becomes a gift of peace we receive from the Lord that stops us from falling and failing according to Psalm 119:165.
We are all navigating strange and deep waters on earth, we go through a wilderness season, we track through desert places and the only reason we are not swallowed up is the peace of God in the inside of us, making us feel at ease with the waves rising against and over us.
As we move through spiritual territories that frightens us, what a comfort to hold onto the peace that Christ gave to us on His departure from the earth as seen in Isaiah 43:2.
Philippians 4:7 refers to this peace as one of God which transcends all understanding.
Most of Paul’s letters began with the words “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Peace is a state of the quietness of spirit that transcends circumstances and it’s not the absence of conflict.
We could think of peaceful times in our communities hoping that crime and distrust will be things of the past. We could also think of tranquil family life where there is no fighting, arguing, hurt feelings, etc. Or we could even think of inner peace as we long for release from stress or guilt.
Jesus came, as Prince of peace, to bring peace between God and man. God was the offended party and had never wanted the war between divinity and humanity. At the heart of peace is harmony, that is to be at peace with everyone, and God, to be in a harmonious relationship with people around us. God calls us to pursue peace with everyone as possible as we can in Hebrews 12:14.
Wise men and women make peace with God through Jesus Christ.
Shalom