Peace at All Times

By Jennifer Lien

On Thanksgiving this year, I spent my time in the hospital with a family who was saying their goodbyes to their 22-year-old son and brother. On a day to give thanks for blessings, it was hard for them to be thankful. The hardest part of pastoring is walking families through grief and telling them there is peace in God.

How is there peace at all times? How is a family to have peace when they are torn to pieces? This is where it is vital to turn our eyes from ourselves to, as Isaiah 9:6 calls Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

In Judges 6:24, Gideon said (in some English versions of the Bible), “The Lord is Peace.” The Hebrew term is Jehovah Shalom. The word shalom is a word primarily thought of as meaning peace, which has become a loose term in our culture. When most people feel good and everything is going well, they may say they feel “peace” or “at peace.” However, shalom actually means to be complete or sound. God is Jehovah Shalom; the Lord is completeness or soundness. When we have Jesus, we have this shalom.

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“Complete and sound peace is not so natural in a fallen world.”

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I can think of times in my life when I have felt incomplete — heartbroken, unsettled in ministry, experiencing loss and grief, depressed, unsettled in career, anxious about the future. Some people experience abuse, neglect or addiction. The list to make humanity feel incomplete is endless.

I have also been in places in my life where I have felt confused or chaotic rather than sound. Temptations have confused me. Things from my childhood have made me question my identity. I have been in a chaotic depression that felt like I was quickly slipping into a hole where I was not myself. I just want to make it clear that not everyone always feels this shalom. Complete and sound peace is not so natural in a fallen world.

Joy and Peace Amid Trouble

Brothers and sisters, believers and Christians are feeling lost and confused. Yes, other people in our world feel this way too, but I’m talking about us, the church!

In John 15, Jesus says, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. … If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. … I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

If we remain and abide in Jesus, our joy will be complete — complete meaning He will give us shalom.

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“In this world you will have trouble.”

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Later, in John 16:33, Jesus said, “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.”

We have not been promised an easy life on earth. In fact, Jesus is warning us that we will have trouble.

Healing, Security and Gratitude

However, Jeremiah 33:6 reminds us, “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.” From all our troubles, we may have healing, peace and security in Jesus.

Colossians 3, in the Amplified version, is so fitting for this conversation. “Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always]” (Colossians 3:15 AMP).

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“Peace can control our hearts.”

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Like a referee in a basketball game, we are to let peace be the deciding factor of our hearts. Peace can control our hearts.

“And be thankful.” Let peace decide, but gratitude must step in because sometimes our heads and our hearts do not align. We must be led by peace and thanksgiving. Peace is activated by gratitude. In many of Paul’s letters, he scatters the reminder to be thankful in all situations, and he often wrote when he was in prison. Romans 8:6 says, “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” We must allow our minds to be refereed by the Holy Spirit, peace and thankfulness.

The famous passage in Philippians 4, starting in verse 6, says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Shalom is really incomprehensible. Although we will have trouble, we can trust shalom to be the controlling factor in our hearts and minds when we abide in Christ. When we are feeling incomplete, confused and chaotic, we can turn to the shalom we have in Him.

Romans 5:1 assures us of this when it says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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“If you have Him, you already have peace!”

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We absolutely have peace when we have Jesus, the Prince of Peace, Jehovah Shalom. There is no question. It is promised. If you have Him, you already have peace!

We confidently can have peace at all times. “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you” (2 Thessalonians 3:16).

In distressing moments, such as losing a child on Thanksgiving Day, we need to remember the sacrifice of Jesus. Because of who He is and what He has done, our shalom will be everlasting. We need to abide in the Holy Spirit with thanksgiving and allow His peace to be our referee — our deciding factor when our circumstances make us feel torn to pieces, incomplete, unsound, confused and chaotic.+