Week 5: Jehovah Shalom (The Lord our Peace)
“So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it “The Lord is Peace” Judges 6:24
Day 1
This week we are studying Jehovah Shalom: The Lord our Peace. This particular name has been very hard for me to write on…. I am going to be honest with you and admit that I struggle with the concept of “peace.” I so desperately LONG for it within my home, within my marriage, within my heart. I am a worrier to the core and Satan so often uses this as a stronghold against the power of Christ in me. I am praying for the Lord to teach ME about trusting Him for who He is as the God of ultimate peace as I am praying He will teach YOU! With that said… let’s begin today by reading about the story of Gideon.
Read Judges 6:11-24
1. Who appeared to Gideon?
2. What was Gideon’s response?
Wow! Gideon’s response really hit home with me. This past week my family has been battling one of the WORST stomach bugs we have EVER had! I was the first to become infected with this HORRIBLE virus…chills, fever, vomiting…really, it was awful. I prayed and prayed that the Lord would place a shield around me and protect the rest of my family. As I watched member by member fall prey to this plague I prayed…”ok, Lord… now place a shield around the two of us and spare the three…. Then, Lord place a shield around the three of us and spare the two…..and so on and so on….” Finally… my sweet little baby was the only one who had not been infected. We had now all been sick for about a week. One night, I remember my sweet and faithful husband saying “Oh, Emma Faye, I’m going to pray against you getting this”. I remember… now extremely bitter towards God’s responses to MY requests….thinking in my head “WHY pray for that! I mean, come on…of course she’s going to get it! God hasn’t spared ONE of us… why would he choose to stop now?” I felt like Gideon. The children of Israel were not in a very restful… peaceful season…..where was God? I believe if the angel of the Lord had appeared before me this past week… I would have said the same thing…”If the Lord is with us…why then has all this happened to us?”
3. Have you ever asked God such questions? What was His response to you?
4. What was God’s response to Gideon’s questions in verse 13?
5. What does God say in verse 16?
“Surely I will be with you” Judges 6:16
God is the God of peace. He desires this for us. He desires that we live in peace with each other and He desires that our hearts are filled with peace… complete reliance upon Him…..that He will be our joy. I think one of the scariest times for me, is when I feel like I’ve been abandoned. When I feel like God has somehow left me…that He is no longer working in my life and has handed it over to Satan. But the fact is….everything is under God’s authority. Everything has a particular purpose…all that somehow brings Him glory. Whatever difficult situation you are finding yourself in….God is working in that…and He is working in that with you. As He states time and time again throughout the bible…”surely I [am] with you” He continues to whisper those same words to US! His word is truth and these are promises. After all, He said to Gideon in verse 14 “Have I not sent you?” He is commanding Gideon to go and defeat the Midianites….be the leader to save Israel. Gideon….of the weakest clan…and the LEAST in his father’s house…..That is who God is sending. It sounds absurd. But EVERYTHING is possible with God… and He finishes what he begins….and He NEVER abandons His “work.”
Read these passages. What do they say about our God of Peace?
1. Joshua 1:9
2. Psalm 23:4
3. Matthew 28:19-20
4. Genesis 26:24
5. Isaiah 41:10
Really take time to pray through these verses today. Realize that our Lord wants to be our peace. Through our pain, our grief, in our struggles, in our disappointments, even in our defeats, He is still walking alongside of us. He has not left us out here alone. I pray that this will bring comfort to your hearts today and that you all will be able to “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
Day 2
“…..And He said, “I will wait until you come back.” Judges 6:18
Read Judges 6:14-24
1. In verse 17 what did Gideon request of the Lord?
2. What was God’s response?
I must stop and sit awhile on verse 18. I think about all of the times I’ve had to wait on my children. I think of all of the times that I heard, “Mommy… wait, wait….let me go and do this… and then you can see…please don’t move, mommy…” And I wait….patiently. Patience certainly is one of the qualities of love. I just can’t get out of my mind the picture of God waiting for Gideon to come back… asking for a sign… God, all the while, knowing who He was! He didn’t have to wait… but he did. I just can’t get that out of my mind. How precious. I think about all of the times I have chosen Worry over Trust in my Lord…over belief in who He is… over trust in the fact that He says He is with us. I think about all of the times I asked God for a sign. And I can’t help but hear my precious Savior saying to me during those times…”I will wait until you return..” Until your faith returns… until you are able to see me for who I am… for who I’ve always been….someone who loves you… who is not desiring havoc for your life… but sweet abundance. God is ALWAYS our Peace… I am learning that OUR peace is mostly contingent upon our trust in the Lord. If we are longing to experience his peace within our hearts, we must believe He is who he says He is… We MUST place our trust in HIM and Him alone. We must realize that He’s love for us is deeper than anything we could ever comprehend. Do YOU believe those things? If you are struggling..as I often am… please spend some time in prayer asking our Heavenly Father to strengthen your faith.
Our faith should stand apart from our circumstances. However, in this fallen world…somehow, sometimes it falls into the trials….somehow it often gets squeezed between the struggles and the heartache…..but that is where Grace comes in. That is where we have a Lord saying to us… “I’ll wait until you return.”
3. Are you going through a difficult time presently? Why do you feel like it’s difficult?
4. In what are you placing your trust? Be honest.
Read Isaiah 26:3
I know that we have studied this verse in previous weeks… but I feel like it is so fitting for today. Write out these words and commit them to memory. Begin praying today for the Lord to help you keep your mind on Him…keep your Faith strong and unchanging through the waves of difficult circumstances. Lord, give us trusting hearts.
Day 3
“Ah, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
Gideon asked the Lord to prove himself. God was faithful. Only then was Gideon able to recognize Him. Only then was he able to realize that he had encountered the angel of the Lord “face to face” and it brought fear into his soul. Why?
1. Read Exodus 33:20. What does it say?
2. What was God’s response to Gideon in verse 23?
3. What did Gideon do?
Gideon built an altar to the Lord and called it The Lord is Peace. He calmed his fears…He spared his life…he was the bringer of peace not only to Gideon’s heart and fears..but He was also calling him to deliver Israel “out of Midian’s hand” (Judges 6:14)…He was bringing about peace for His people. God desires that we live….and live for Him. Therefore it was part of His ultimate plan to send His son…our Prince of Peace…….. to reconcile us to Him forever. To not only bring peace to the world FOREVER through redemption of sin…but to bring peace into our hearts as we live out our time HERE on this earth. I am sure when the Lord spoke “Peace” to Gideon he was immediately calmed. Gideon’s peace was realized when He recognized the Lord. Are you able to see the Lord in your life… are you able to recognize him? Hear him? Are you looking for Him?
Today I pray that you will be able to open up your heart and eyes to Jesus. He is in all things and through all things. Today I pray you will be able to see Him and hear Him. Spend time today in His word. Ask Him to speak to you.
Day 4
“…Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”
Read Matthew 14:22-32
1. What were the disciples initial reactions when they saw Jesus?
2. What was Jesus’ response to them?
3.When you encounter God working mightily in your life what is your reaction? Are you surprised? Do you make excuses for this occurrence other than the Lord, Himself, working?
4. What was Jesus’ response to Peter’s questioning?
“Come.” It is hard for me to believe that these men walked with Jesus and yet they still needed proof that He was who He said was. Still, God does not refuse our requests to convince us of Himself. God waited patiently for Gideon to come back with an offering and Jesus accepted Peter’s offer to call him out to the water with him. However, Peter was fine amidst the storm until he took his eyes off of Jesus. Then, he became afraid. I firmly believe that faith and peace go hand in hand. We are fully able to experience the “peace that surpasses all understanding” when we remain face to face with our Savior.
Read Numbers 6:22-26
5. What does verse 26 say?
6. What does this passage mean to you?
Read Hebrews 12:2-3
It is my prayer today that we fill be able to fix our eyes on Jesus…that we will remember it is HE who perfects our faith… it is He who extends peace….we are to continually keep Him our focus so we may not grow weary and lose heart. Things around us will not always be peaceful. We will not always understand why things happen the way they do. Sometimes I don’t even understand the lessons God is trying to teach me…but He says..
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
1 Corinthians 13:12
Through Jesus Christ…we WILL understand… we will not see him as a GOOD reflection in a mirror…no… we will stand before him and see him face to face… we will look upon our Lord and we will surely not die for Christ has conquered death. For He says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. “(John 16:33) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27). God—our peace…sent us a prince! That we may have peace forever. This is Jesus Christ. He longs to be our peace. Embrace Him… Fix your eyes upon Him today… remain in His word. This is our Lord of peace…this is Jehovah Shalom.
