Week 6, Day 37 - Shalom

"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

REFLECT

You're walking down the sidewalk, and you see a longtime acquaintance. If there is no time to stop and talk, you nod and simply say, "Hi" or "How ya doin'?" Maybe you mean it, or maybe the words are just words.

The Hebrews had a much better way of greeting each other: "Shalom." The usual translation into English is "Peace," and though this translation is accurate, it is incomplete. Shalom is a tremendous word. It's an expression of full blessing. This peace is not just the absence of conflict, but a complete wholeness of being. So when someone greets another in Hebrew with "Shalom," it doesn't just mean, "Hi, hope you stay well today." But "May you enjoy security and safety, may you experience harmony and accord in all parts of your life, and may you have soundness, completeness, and health in every respect."

Shalom means health. It points to how we are healed.

Jesus greeted his disciples many times with "Shalom." And they most certainly never forgot that day after Jesus' death when he suddenly appeared in the room with them, saying, "Shalom." Shalom, indeed!

The resurrected Messiah is our true hope for healing. On the night Jesus was betrayed, before the arrest, trial, and execution, he said to his disciples: "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." They didn't know what He meant then. They didn't know how much healing they would need. But they got it.

How do we heal? We are, in fact, being healed all the time. Our bodies are continually attacked by microbes and germs that are unseen, but by God's design the body is defended. And when we are cut and bruised, we heal.

But the most important healing happens to the wholeness of our being when Christ brings peace to the troubled soul and the fearful heart. When through the Holy Spirit he rejoins us in fellowship with the heavenly Father. And with that connection he breaks apart flaws of our character like pride and resentment and replaces them with joy and gentleness and a grace filled attitude. This is true healing. This is truly a supernatural event we experience in the flow of the Holy Spirit.

MAKE IT REAL

Find a peaceful place today. Maybe a park, a quiet room, a nature trail or a library, and pray for God's contentment and peace for a troubling situation in your life. Listen carefully to the Holy Spirit's nudges and suggestions.

Day 38