The Lord is Peace
The draw of peace is captivating. A greedy hunger for it sometimes consumes me. I ache for it like I ache for the warmth of the sun on a bitterly cold day. There is a longing to dwell in its embrace, to bask in its intimacy. Scriptures like, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you,” (Isaiah 26:3) beckon to me and fill me with a yearning for their promise. But alas…peace’s nemeses are always just around the corner and on the prowl, ready to riddle life with conflict and battle.
In Judges 6, Israel found themselves in a pickle and in need of peace and relief. They had been under judgement from the Lord for seven years because they had turned toward evil. The Lord allowed the Midianites to bring their oppression upon the Israelites, and the Israelites, much like us when the pressure is on, turned back toward God and cried out to Him for relief during that time. God relented and gave them a leader to take them on to victory–Gideon.
When God commissioned Gideon with the task, He sent an angel of the Lord and when he first appeared to Gideon, Gideon was feeling anything but peace. In fact, he asked the angel: “’Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?’” vs 13a
Gideon’s discouragement and lack of confidence continued and even culminated with a request for a sign from the angel, and the angel of the Lord granted him the sign. When this happened, Gideon, “…exclaimed, ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.’ So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace.” vs 22b-24a Here Gideon declared another of God’s names–Jehovah Shalom–The Lord is Peace.
In the midst of Israel’s uncertainty and Gideon’s uncertainty, God revealed Himself. He heard the cry of His people; He called Gideon, reassuring Him and meeting him at his point of need. He did not condemn Gideon’s hesitancy but overwhelmed him with miracles.
Today, let Jehovah Shalom give you peace and reassurance as He leads you into the miraculous.
–Katie Botello