THE
frequency with which a word is used in a document or writing often gives you a
clue to its importance. So let me ask: When you think about the important
concepts or precepts taught in the Bible, which words come to mind? Would it be
heaven? Hell? Or maybe Savior, God, Sin. How about peace, the “thing” we’re
returning to our search for? How often would you say it appears in Scripture?
And would you call it more of a noun or a verb?
Using the King James Version of the
Bible, I discovered that translation contains 788,258 words, and Peace occurs 470
times, twenty-six times fewer than soul, and thirty-one times fewer than
spirit. Heaven occurs 644 times, and sin 441 times. While 470 times seems puny
compared to 788,000, Peace did end up in the most popular list of words used. You
could take just one verse containing the word Peace and end up studying it every day for
1.28 years.
Any study of the Bible leads you to
the conclusion that Peace is a pretty important concept. And anyone who’s
living life right now (meaning anyone who is presently alive) can tell you
Peace is critical to his physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
When we last looked at Peace, we
were concentrating on Shalom. The type of peace one person might extend to
another, to wish them good health, prosperity, happiness, or wealth. In the Old
Testament, people sought after it in their relationships with others; men
looked forward to one day joining their deceased forefathers by lying down in
peace with them. God promised it to those people who followed Him and obeyed
His commandments. People signed Peace treaties with one another and promised to
live in Shalom together. We learned that sometimes the fastest way to Peace is
to keep our mouths shut and not fight for what is rightfully ours; and we
learned that sometimes we must speak up and promote justice in order to have
it.
One of the most beautiful passages
in the Psalms is found in Psalm 119:165 that says: “Great peace (shalom) have
those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.”
How could law-lovers not stumble?
Because when they focused on God and used God’s word as their guiding principal
for life, they reaped the benefits of peace. They had knowledge and discernment
and revelation that others didn’t enjoy. Instead of putting themselves, their
wants, their desires and the world first, they put God first and He opened up
the Heavens for them. Even when they were being taunted and persecuted by
others for their faith, they experienced shalom because it pleased God to
reward them with it.
The same can be said of God lovers
and Christ followers today. They know where their treasure is, and it’s not earthly. Their treasure is the Kingdom of God, so that is where their focus
lies—on Him and His Kingdom. And, like any loving, generous father, God is
pleased to reward those who identify themselves as His children.
There are other definitions for
peace in Scripture, and we’ll start exploring some of those next week. But the
more we study, the more we’ll learn that peace is not something we have to sit
around and wait for, something we hope shows up one day if we just have the
right amount of money, if we just live in the right neighborhood and go to the
right church or school, if that difficult person at work just finds a new job, leaves
your department, and stops irritating you. Sometimes it’s more of a verb than a
noun, requiring some kind of action to attain. Or an action someone else takes
in order to bestow peace upon you. Sometimes it’s more of a noun, something you
possess. And sometimes it’s a combination of both.
Next week we’ll look at the type of
peace that brings much joy to both you and God. But before we go today, I
invite you to think and pray about something.
Why do you think your heart and mind struggle to have peace?
We’ll link the answer to that
question to next week’s discussion.
Until
then, may your week be overflowing with Shalom!
Andrea
May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your
soul prospers (3 John 2).
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