God’s names (4)

Gideon discovered the name Jehovah-Shalom: the Lord my peace when God assigned him the job of leading Israel against the Midianites – a position Gideon thought was way beyond his abilities. ‘How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family’ (v.15 NIV). The Lord responded, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites…Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die’ (v.16, 23 NIV). A frightened Gideon believed God before the battle was even fought and the victory secured. Through the eyes of faith, he envisioned peace already secured, and built an altar to Jehovah-Shalom: the Lord my peace.

We assume that we can only have inner peace when our outer circumstances are good. Let’s learn, like Gideon, that our inner peace doesn’t depend on changing our external circumstances. It depends on believing that Jehovah-Shalom is with us, which will bring us through the battles we face with inner peace.

Jesus said: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace [which is inner, and faith-based] I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives [which is based on external circumstances]. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’ (John 14:27 NIV). Today, let’s think about these words: ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace…take heart! I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33 NIV). Our job is to ‘take heart’ because Jehovah-Shalom is with us, and to trust Christ the ‘overcomer’ to handle the circumstances for us.

Gen 2:7-25; 1 Cor 15:39-55