Peace: Harmony of Our Soul

In the Old Testament the Hebrew word for peace is “shalom.” Shalom comes from a root verb meaning to be complete, perfect and full. Although it is used idiomatically to mean both “hello” and “goodbye” in Israel today, it is a much richer word historically and biblically. Shalom means wholeness and soundness and carries the idea of well-being and harmony. In ancient Hebrew culture when you speak out the word shalom you are not only proclaiming peace, but spiritual prosperity where the soul blossoms because of its closeness with God.

Peace for Believers

When a person has shalom (or the New Testament Greek equivalent “eirene”) they have tranquility that resides deep-down inside because it comes from God. The Lord of peace is the one who gives it to His children (2 Thessalonians 3:16). At the beginning of the Apostles Paul’s 13 letters, he writes, Grace and peace to you. Not once does he say, “Peace and grace to you.” It is as if he is saying that people can never begin to experience peace until they have experienced God’s grace through salvation. To have biblical peace you first need to be born again. You cannot experience biblical peace without salvation, however once you are saved then you can obtain peace and even grow in its experience. In Paul’s greetings he prays that we would receive this peace, not in the sense that we don’t already have it, but in the sense that we would experience it in a greater way. Jesus said this to His disciples after His Resurrection in John 20:19, Peace be with you. But then eight days later He says the same thing to them. Jesus dispensed His wish of further peace on His disciples so that they would absorb this reality in a deeper and more profound way.

Peace in Every Circumstance

Jesus promises His followers in John 14:27, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Colossians 3:15 says, Let the peace of God rule in your hearts. God wants us to have divine peace that can transcend difficult circumstances. We can have peace in our inner souls regardless of the difficult trials inflicting us. We can have unbreakable peace where our hearts are calmly and confidently believing that all is truly well between us and God based on our relationship with Christ. Even if we were sitting in prison rotting away, this peace cannot be broken. In John 16:33 Jesus said,

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Tribulations will be common in life, but Christ’s peace will always be greater than those tribulations because He defeated sin that cursed this world and Satan who rules this world. Whatever situation of life we find ourselves, we can experience God’s peace if we are one of His children and apply what He says.