JEHOVAH SHALOM

Don't you love the way that those two words roll off your tongue? Not only do I love to share good books that I have read but another love of mine is good and worshipful music. I have a new cd by Shannon Wexelberg entitled I Have a Song and on that cd is a song called JEHOVAH-SHALOM. Let me give you one of the verses- "In the darkness Your presence wraps around me like a blanket of rest that covers me. When my heart is overwhelmed You're my Comfort and my Help , You are with me!"...

Shannon writes most of her music and this cd is packed with great truths from God's Word. Recently, Amy was driving and listening to God-glorifying music and a wee voice came from the backseat saying "Mommy, this music helps me believe in God." Quite the intuitive remark, I would say, coming from a four year old boy. Surely, this MaMa believes, God is already softening and working in that heart. Thank You, Lord!

One of my favorite studies that I have taught and also the testimony from many who listened is the study of the O.T. names of God. Psalm 9:10- "And they that know Thy Name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, O LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee."  Proverbs 18:10 proclaims "The Name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe." One of His names is JEHOVAH-SHALOM, the LORD our peace, first mentioned in the sixth chapter of Judges.

The Book of Judges bears the accounts of Israel's sin and apostasy and oppression but God, in His mercy, would send judges, Gideon being the one in chapter 6. Gideon is threshing wheat , not on a high mountain which would be the norm so the wind would blow the chaff away, but rather, he is down in the winepress because the Midianites are destroying all that is Israel's.  Are you fearful today, dear one? Does it seem to you that the enemy of your soul has the upper hand? There are tremendous lessons in chaps. 6-8 and I begin with the angel of the LORD appearing in verse 12, telling Gideon "The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." The trembling and hiding Gideon probably looks around to see who is being addressed.

Believer, God is not only with us, He's in us and He sees who we are in Christ and He knows the finished product. "Being confident of this very thing, that He which  hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil.1:6.  Gideon realized his weaknesses and knew the Midianites were "as grasshoppers for multitude" but Believer, when God is on our side, numbers are meaningless. In fact, in chapter 7, we see Him whittle Gideon's army from 32,000 to 300 and surely Gideon, like us, wonders if God is using a very good strategy here. Doesn't it seem that God's ways aren't very logical at times? Yes, that is our God!! Gideon takes 300 men up against 135,000 men, odds 450 to 1 and with no weapons but "every man in his place" with their trumpets, pitchers, and lamps, God wins! Yes, that is our God! 1 Cor. 15:57 "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  Rom 8:37 "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

I got so excited about this story that I jumped ahead of the story, didn't I? In chapter 6, God commissions Gideon and confirms it at his request with a sign and says in vs. 23 "Peace (shalom) be unto thee; fear not; thou shalt not die." Then in vs 24, Gideon builds an altar and calls it JEHOVAH-SHALOM. The LORD is our peace.  I believe one of the deepest desires of the human heart is peace. Many have money but no peace; some have fame but no peace. Many have lost their health because of anxiety, the lack of peace. Surely, the search for peace is why many teens are taking drugs and consuming alcohol and our hearts break for the multitudes wandering as sheep having no shepherd.  Sheep, like us, need peace to function and be productive and surely, that is why the shepherd David, in Ps. 23 says "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside still waters."  Let me encourage you today that our Heavenly Father is the God of peace."Now the God of peace, Who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.." Heb. 13:20 . That great Shepherd is our peace. Eph 2:14 "For He is our peace, Who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us."  And the Holy Spirit, Who resides in all of us who believe, produces peace in our lives as we walk in our journey here. Gal. 5:22

       

Rejoice, Christian brother and sister, we are not at war, we are not enemies to God any longer. JEHOVAH SHALOM.  Whisper that Name today, hurting one. I don't know the depth of your pain but He does. We may, at times, like Job, feel we can't "find Him" but He knows exactly where we are. And, really, we know where He is, at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for you and me. Rom. 8:34

     

Now, that thought brings me great comfort and peace. JEHOVAH SHALOM

Looking up, Deborah

What O.T. prophet references the victory over the Midianites twice in his book?  In 2 Kings 4, when the Shunamite woman went to find Elisha because her son had died, the servant stopped her on the way and asked her "Is it well with thy husband and thy son?"  And she said "It is well."  The Hebrew word is shalom.  Praise God that it is well when we are in Christ, even if circumstances tempt us to think otherwise!