What does it mean to experience true peace, especially when life feels chaotic, uncertain, or even dangerous? The Hebrew word shalom points us toward something far deeper than the absence of conflict. It speaks of wholeness, health, and well-being. This is the kind of peace God offers His people, and it is available even in the most difficult seasons of life.
What Does “Shalom” Really Mean?
The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, is still used as a warm greeting in Israel today. It carries the idea of health, wholeness, and well-being. To experience shalom is to live with both inner peace and outward peace.
Jerusalem itself means “city of peace,” with Salem derived from shalom. It was meant to be a new Eden, radiating light and hope to all nations. True peace enables us to feel secure even in an uncertain world.
Why Does God Allow War and Conflict?
The Old Testament can be confusing when it comes to war. How can a God of peace allow His people to declare war? While this is a complex question, it helps to understand the context. In the ancient world, cities like Jericho were not large urban centers. They were primarily defensive garrisons or forts, often housing soldiers rather than large civilian populations.
God’s larger purpose in the conquest of Canaan was to remove deeply sinful practices, including shrine worship and child sacrifice, and to establish a new culture of shalom. As Joshua declared:
“Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped… and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” – Joshua 24:14-23
What Happens When We Turn Away from God?
When we turn away from God and pursue things against His will, we essentially hijack shalom. That path can bring worry, regret, and ultimately chaos, which is anything but peace.
The story of Samson illustrates this powerfully. Samson was dedicated to God from birth through a Nazirite vow, a voluntary commitment to completely submit to God. But Samson chased Delilah, drank wine, and believed the hype about his own strength. He lived half-following God while also chasing rival desires and fantasies.
The result was his downfall. His story asks us a pointed question: Are we living wholeheartedly for God, or are we caught chasing dreams and desires that pull us away from Him?
Are You Stuck in a Negative Cycle?
It is all too easy to waste our lives in downward spirals of lust, greed, evy, and bitterness. We mess up, cry out to God for forgiveness, make promises, and then become complacent again. We loop back into the same negative cycle. We neither enjoy the sin nor experience the peace.
So what is the way out? Joshua’s words point us in the right direction: throw away the foreign gods and yield your heart to the Lord.
The key to breaking negative cycles and dwelling in peace is to renounce destructive patterns and fully submit to God. When all of life is under the one God:
• We no longer feel torn between competing desires
• We can exercise self-control and live with honour
• We choose gratitude and generosity over envy
• We choose forgiveness and peace over bitterness and revenge
This is not easy. The shalom lifestyle comes with plenty of setbacks. But Israel’s story reveals a God who does not give up on His people despite all the negative cycles.
How Does Jesus Restore Peace?
In Jesus Christ, we have the ultimate advocate. He not only forgives our sins but gives us the power to change. He is called the Prince of Peace, or literally, the Prince of Shalom.
“The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7
When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. That curtain symbolized separation from God. His death opened up access again into God’s presence. We are no longer shut out. We are invited to experience the love of a Heavenly Father who welcomes us home.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1
Where Is God When Life Falls Apart?
When suffering comes, we often assume God has abandoned us. We interpret painful experiences as evidence that He no longer cares. But this simply is not true.
The very same prophets who warned of judgment also declared that God would walk with His people through it:
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned… Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” – Isaiah 43:2, 5
C.S. Lewis captured this well: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pain.” There are profound things you can only fully experience in a storm.
God is not an awkward bystander who does not know what to do when we cry out to Him. Jesus Himself faced the ultimate exile, shut out to darkness on the cross. He knows how we feel. He can sit with us in our pain.
What Do You Do While You Are Waiting?
Sometimes God places us in a waiting room. Waiting for a partner, for healing, for a job, for children, for a home. It is a hard place to be. But taking things into our own hands and forcing a solution often ends in hardship.
Shalom is robust. It keeps us buoyant in the storms of life and brings us out on the other side. The question is not just what we are waiting for, but how we are spending that time of waiting.
Spiritual practices matter deeply here. Reading Scripture, prayer, keeping the Sabbath, and regularly gathering with other believers are not optional extras. They are the disciplines that keep us anchored to God as our ultimate master, even when life feels like a fiery furnace rather than the peaceful life we imagined.
A Psalm to Hold Onto
Psalm 121 has been a source of strength and certainty through many dangerous and difficult situations. It is worth holding close:
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip. He who watches over you will not slumber… The Lord will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and your going, both now and forevermore.” – Psalm 121
Find a piece of Scripture for yourself to hold dearly. Other passages worth starting with include:
• “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
• “Fear not, for I am with you.” – Isaiah 41:10
• “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13
Life Application
This week, choose one Scripture verse about peace and write it somewhere you will see it every day. Let it be your anchor when anxiety, frustration, or uncertainty creeps in. Begin or return to a simple daily habit of five minutes in Scripture, particularly the Psalms, and let God speak into whatever you are carrying right now.
Ask yourself these questions as you go through the week:
• Am I living wholeheartedly for God, or am I caught between following Him and chasing something else?
• Is there a negative cycle in my life that I need to renounce and bring before God?
• If I am in a season of waiting, how can I draw closer to God during this time rather than trying to force my own solution?
• Do I truly trust that God loves me and has a plan for me, even when life is painful or uncertain?
God loves every one of us. He may not love the sin in the things we do, but He loves us and wants a relationship with us. The Prince of Peace can break negative cycles and restore shalom in your heart. Seek Him, spend time with Him, and trust that He is watching over your coming and your going, both now and forevermore.
