Peace

 


My heart has been so troubled by the recent shooting in Nashville’s Covenant School. As I have prayed I keep hearing “Peace I give.” So what is peace? How is peace from Jehovah Shalom different? 

I have had issues with anxiety since I was a child. Taking Xanax may “calm” you down, but it doesn’t give you peace. When I filed for divorce September of 2020 from my first husband, I felt the peace that surpassed all understanding! Sure I cried! Who wouldn’t after 12 years of marriage, finding out about infidelity and drug addiction? But I was not depressed, laying in bed, unable to do basic functions. I still worked every day. I still showered and put on makeup. I got dressed up for church. I ran to the Father, Abba! 

Divorce is hard! Plain and simple! What I learned is that the peace Jehovah Shalom gives you can not be given or taken by the world! When you humble yourself and reach out to him, he will come down to you! 

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭

It’s easy to understand anxiety that surpasses all understanding. I have been there too! Anxiety, fear, doubt can be an ugly 3 headed monster that roars in your life! It feels all encompassing! But so can true peace from God! In the midst of my storm, there was Yahweh, holding me and keeping me. When life throws a curve ball at you, when you feel you are snowballing and caught in the avalanches of life, there is Jesus with his arms outstretched! He says "Come to me all who are WEARY and HEAVY LADEN. For I will give you REST." In Genesis 2:3 the first word for rest, sabbat, literally means to stop. And the first depiction is God himself stopping in his task of creation. A little further into the story, we see another Hebrew word for rest, nuakh, which can be understood as to abide or rest in. Rest in Abba, the Father. For true peace comes from him! 

Abba, I pray that everyone reading these words can feel the peace that only comes from you! I pray that they find rest in you. These days can be so uncertain with tragedy and turmoil. May we find peace in you, deliverance from fear, and hope! For the families, friends, loved ones, students, faculty, community, police, first responders, doctors and nurses affected by this recent school shooting I pray that you meet all their needs in the way that only you can. Give us hope of a brighter future. In your precious name I pray. Amen and amen. 


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