Peace

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” Proverbs 9:10 NKJV. One way we can know God is through His revealed attributes and knowledge of this gives understanding. It is important to know that one of His attributes is Jehovah Shalom which means “The Lord is Peace”. This means He is the embodiment and the true definition of peace itself. To experience true peace we must be connected to Him. The result of this is peace with God cf. Romans 5:1,2 and then the peace of God which comes through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through His Fruit which includes peace.

Let us now consider carefully the events in this story of the call of Gideon in Judges 6:11-27. In chapter 6, we see from the very beginning that the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of God (it wasn’t evil in man’s sight but according to God’s standards, it was evil!) and the Lord disciplined them by giving them into the hand of Midian, who were their enemies for 7 years.

Israel suffered greatly at their hand because they had done what was evil in God’s sight, and being love, He had to discipline them so they would not repeat their mistakes. They came to a realisation of their deeds and called out to the Lord, crying for help. We then see that the angel of the Lord visited the house of Joash, whose son was Gideon(an answer to their prayer!). This was while Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valour.” Judges 6:12 ESV. Gideon then asks a series of questions which mean one thing; why Israel’s fate was what it was if the Lord was with them. This is a question we often ask when we face difficulties. But we forget that the Lord has promised He will never leave nor forsake us as was the case of the Israelites(cf. Deuteronomy 31:6) and now for us who believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ(cf. Hebrews 13:5).

The angel of the Lord came to remind Gideon of this fact in spite of what was happening. The significance of this is that we are able to face the difficulty because God is with us through it all and expects we turn to Him. Also, because He is with us, the circumstances can change when we turn to Him. What we need to do is turn to God in prayer asking how to navigate the season.

Now, when the angel of the Lord had successfully brought Gideon’s attention to the fact that God was still with Israel even when they had disobeyed Him, Gideon was commissioned to go and save Israel. He then asks how and the Lord said He would be with him to bring the defeat of the Midianites. Sometimes we need to be reminded about God’s presence with us and this makes the difference in how we wage war in our present circumstances. Be reminded of this one fact; the Lord is with you. Turn to Him through prayer now.

Anyways, after this, we see that Gideon presented a sacrificial offering to the Lord which the Lord accepted. After this, Gideon knew that it was the Lord He was interacting with the whole time and thought he would die because he had seen the Lord face to face (cf. Exodus 33:20) but like in Esther 8:4, mercy was extended to Gideon; “But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die’. ” Judges 6:23 ESV. After this, Gideon builds an altar and calls it, the Lord is Peace (cf. Judges 6:24).

He had an encounter with the Lord and knew that indeed the Lord is Peace. What is the significance of this? Back in Exodus, the Israelites had this idea that the Lord was scary and hard especially when He appeared before them in Exodus 19 but in the context, we see that the people of Israel had been rebellious. The people were in great fear when the Lord came down onto the mountain. Also, the fact that you can’t see God’s face and live (cf. Exodus 33:19, 20) but we forget that in verse 19, the Lord makes a provision for mercy. This is what we see in Gideon’s case. Gideon was shown mercy.

After these events, God orders the steps of Gideon towards the defeat of their enemies. Gideon still had his fear of people such as his family, but he still acted on the Word of the Lord, first to bring deliverance in his household (Judges 6:25-27). In spite of your uncertainty, act on the Word of the Lord. It yields results when mixed with faith in spite of the circumstance.

What then is peace? It is not the absence of confusion or frustration but rather the ability to be calm in spirit and in mind in spite of the circumstances. The Cambridge dictionary defines it as “the state of not being interrupted or annoyed by worry, problems, noise, or unwanted actions”. It is a state of being and this is only achieved truly through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God.

How shall we live in peace?

In John 14:27, Jesus says He’s given those who believe in Him His peace. This can only be achieved through a relationship with Jesus. “Great peace have those who love Your law and nothing causes them to stumble”- Psalm 119:165 NKJV. We demonstrate our love through obedience according to John 14:15. We can only obey only when we have a relationship with the Lord Jesus. Once you are saved and have received the Holy Spirit of God, the Fruit of the Spirit is in you. It is part of the salvation “package.” One of the elements in there is the seed of peace. A seed has to grow but must be cultivated well and have the right condition(cf. Matthew 13:1-23). It must have a fertile ground, which is your heart, and watered(done by the Holy Spirit of God cf. 1 Corinthians 3:5,6 NKJV) by reading, meditating on, and applying the Word of God practically.

This means we must learn to clear the clutter from our hearts through prayer and the study of the word and fellowship with the saints(cf. Acts 2:42). We must be intentional to grow (cf. 2 Peter 3:18). It is a life we have been called to. We must decide to live by the terms of the Word of God. It is only through that we can have the peace of God perpetually. However, you can say this prayer if you want to have this peace that comes through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Say with all sincerity;

“Lord Jesus, I come to you in total surrender. I give you my life and make you mine this day. I turn from the systems of the world, the fleshly nature and strongholds, and Satan. Forgive my sins and take me as your son/daughter. I declare today that I am yours and you are mine. I declare you this day, as my Lord and personal saviour. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, and let your name be glorified. Thank you for saving me, Lord Jesus. Amen. “

Please reach out to me through the comments or find a Bible teaching and believing church and tell them of your decision so you are appropriately guided on your next steps. God bless you.

Now to anyone struggling with not having peace, pray saying, “My Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name! Thank you that I can come to you and find help in my time of need. I yield my mind and heart to you afresh. Please come through for me and help me have peace in my situation (name your situation). I believe you can do all things and I have my peace. Thank you that I have received my answer and will see its manifestation soon, in the name of Jesus I have prayed, amen!”

God bless and keep you with His peace. Shalom shalom!