We’ve adopted the wrong idea about peace. We often think about peace as blue sky, green grass, and things going our way.
Peace doesn’t mean everything is always well and harmonious in our little worlds, or our circumstances are favorable and we have what we want.
We can easily find peace when life is “smooth sailing.” But what happens when our world falls apart and our hearts are troubled?
As human beings, we’re fragile, and sometimes a little thing can trouble and shake us. We can be filled with anxiety and distress by our situations.
Our peace can’t be rooted in ourselves, favorable circumstances, or comfortable lives.
The Powerful Longing for Peace (Shalom)
The desire for peace is a strong and deep longing in the human heart.
The Hebrew word for peace, “shalom,” encompasses a range of meanings, including wholeness, integrity, freedom, and blessedness. “Shalom” expresses an attitude of goodwill, benevolence, and acceptance, and describes one important aspect of God’s character.
We especially long for this kind of peace when our hearts are troubled and things are falling apart. Peace isn’t a feeling; it’s something that permeates our whole beings and transcends hardships.
God Himself placed this powerful longing for peace in our hearts, and He is also the only One who can satisfy it.
4 Lessons on Peace from Gideon and Jehovah Shalom
Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace and our Lord of Peace (Is 9:6; 2 Thes 3:16).
Judges 6 is the first time God referred to Himself with the word “shalom.” In this account, Gideon meets with an angel of the Lord and calls the altar Jehovah Shalom as a physical reminder that the Lord is peace.
The encounter between Gideon and the Angel of the Lord illustrates four ways we can experience God’s “shalom” even when our surroundings are anything but peaceful.
#1 – The God of Peace assures us.
“So Israel became poverty-stricken because of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the Lord.” – Judges 6:6 HCSB
Gideon’s situation was bleak. Together with all the Israelites, he suffered under the oppression of the Midianites.
In response to the desperate cry of the Israelites, the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Jgs 6:12).
The Lord always comes with encouragement and comfort. God knows how weak and vulnerable our hearts are, so He reassures us with His presence.
Also, the Lord sees our potential to overcome fear and hardship. God assures us that with Him, we’re strong and capable—mighty warriors.
#2 – We can have peace with God even when we doubt.
“He said to Him, ‘Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.’ ‘But I will be with you,’ the Lord said to him. ‘You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.’” – Judges 6:15–16 HCSB
God’s assurance of His presence and declaration of Gideon as a mighty warrior weren’t enough to dispel Gideon’s fears and doubts. The Lord converses with Gideon, gently answering his questions and complaints.
The Lord invites us to bring our concerns before Him, ask hard questions, and express our doubts and insecurities.
God gently reassures his servant that He is with him. We can also find this same peace and face our struggles courageously because God’s presence is with us.
#3 – We can find peace in God through surrender and worship.
“The Angel of the Lord extended the tip of the staff that was in His hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the Angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.” – Judges 6:21 HCSB
After Gideon unburdened his heart in the Lord’s presence, he worshipped the Lord by offering a sacrificial gift of unleavened bread and meat.
Surrendering to the Lord and worshiping Him are proper actions we can take when our hearts are troubled. Bringing our concerns to the Lord and surrendering our will to His is the path to receive His peace.
#4 – Peace isn’t a feeling but a person.
“When Gideon realized that He was the Angel of the Lord, he said, ‘Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face!’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.’ So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it Yahweh Shalom. It is in Ophrah of the Abiezrites until today.” – Judges 6:22–24 HSCB
Gideon discovered peace isn’t a feeling. He experienced a transformational encounter with the One who is Peace, the Lord.
Through Christ’s sacrifice, God made it possible to be united with Him and in His presence without facing the penalty of death. God comes to us as the Lord of Peace with a twofold encouragement: Don’t fear! The Lord is with you!
God Is Our Peace in Every Storm and Trouble
God is our peace in situations causing fear, anxiety, worry, or confusion. He brings calm and clarity because He’s a God of peace, not confusion.
God brings us from a state of brokenness to a state of wholeness, integrity, freedom, and blessedness—shalom. God’s peace transcends all understanding and guards our hearts and minds.
Each day, let’s invite the God of Peace into every situation to satisfy our deep longing for Him and experience true peace.
Hadassah Treu
Hadassah Treu is an award-winning writer at onthewaybg.com, author of Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings, and co-author of 14 books. She loves encouraging the broken-hearted to draw near to God in their pain and has been featured on over 70 faith-based platforms and podcasts. Connect with Hadassah on her blog, Instagram, Facebook, X, and Pinterest.
