Peace. It seems to be in short supply in these days of upheaval. No one should know more about true peace than a follower of Jesus Christ and no one should be working harder to bring peace than a follower of Jesus Christ. But what is peace? It’s far more than the absence of conflict or simply an inner state of calm. Peace, biblically speaking, is not just about the absence of something, it’s about the presence of something amazing, a quality of existence. One of the most important words in the Old Testament is the word shalom. Often translated ‘peace’ in our English Bibles, we also find it referring to prosperity, well-being, wholeness/completeness, and even safety. It’s a word that seems to, as much or more than any other, capture life the way God intends it to be. We need to understand more about what we often refer to as ‘peace’ in the Bible. What is shalom about and how does it translate to our daily lives?
In this message, we focus on two foundational truths before launching any deeper into the biblical idea of shalom. First, we have to understand that peace originates with God, not human beings. He is the one who both gives and defines what peace is all about. If that’s not our starting point, we will be off base to begin with. The second truth is that, although peace is something that originates with God, peace is something that we do. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers…” He lets us know that to be God’s true children is to do the same things we find our Heavenly Father doing, in this case, making peace.
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