The Manifest Shalom of God

The Shalom of God is the most amazing encounter that you will ever have. It really is what brought me into the kingdom and kept me in the Kingdom. It was the encounter with his manifest presence: His joy, well-being, kindness and love – that I remember when I was a boy and what I remember when I finally gave my heart to Jesus at the age of 32. I grew up in the church, dedicated my life to Christ at 7, and then again at 15, and I went to bible school and became a pastor by 21, but it was the saturating presence of Jesus that came at 32 that convinced me to walk with him and to talk with him along life’s way. For many years I have been trying to explain that which the bible says, “Transcends the understanding to protect the heart and the mind (Philippians 4:7).” One of the meanings of transcend from the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “to be prior to, beyond, and above (the universe or material existence). So the peace of God goes beyond the mind, encompasses and enters deep into the heart. It benefits the mind, body and spirit. When we enter transcendence we enter into the realm of glory or the manifest presence of God. When you enter Shalom everything you need is there. Shalom is not just a feeling. It is the spirit of God leaning on you and bringing benefit to your entire life. It is the inner tranquility that remains after everything else happens. This Shalom comes from the work of Jesus Christ on the cross (Romans 5:1-3). It enters us through the blood transfusion that took place there. It is the new wine of his presence. It is this intoxication that keeps us through every trial and storm. It is the reason that others are drawn to us. It is Christ in us the hope of glory. Hebrews 10:19-22 19Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Shalom in Hebrew is a daily greeting. You say it when you say hello and you say goodbye. Those who use it may not realise the depth of the word that they are speaking. In fact Shalom is a blessing that once spoken over your life can bring about restoration and resurrection of all that is dead within you. Shalom is interpreted as peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. The Shalom of God upon your life is heaven’s bounty. It is the riches of Christ that come to bring life to every part of your being. When Shalom enters into you your mind is transformed, demons tremble, and your body can experience healing. When Shalom comes so do riches and abundance. It is a blessing measured by the articles of Deuteronomy 28. When you have Shalom you have health, wealth and well being. When you begin to understand that Shalom is greater than the word peace and accompanies everything I mentioned above then it changes the way you think of the usage of the word in Scripture. Let me share a couple of passages with you. Numbers 6:22-26 says, 22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 24 “‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ The word interpreted peace in the English is Shalom in the Hebrew. When you think of this passage think about God’s eyes shining on you and a vortex of Shalom coming forth from them. When God’s looks at you whatever is in his gaze begins to rest upon you. In God there is no darkness at all and his manifest character begins to move toward you. This is the Shalom of God. All that is dark in your life begins to shift and you remain in the wholeness of God. It is the eye of his presence. There are no storms there. You are in the shelter of the Most High. Here is another great verse that when understood from the Shalom of God might change the way you pray. Psalm 122:6-7 says, Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.” Many of us would think that when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem we should ask for terrorism and wars to end. We often interpret this through that lens. But think about it differently for a moment. God may be asking for us to pray that his Shalom - the exact radiation of his glory – to be found in the streets, houses and palaces of the people that reside there. Perhaps he is asking us to pray that they will be filled with his glory so that they will live a life in the presence. Perhaps he is asking us to pray for the welfare, prosperity and progress of the people, so that they shine for the whole word to see. Psalm 67 says pray for the blessing of God to be upon the people so that the whole world will fear him. When we enter into Shalom we become the people that everyone else want to be. They want the same Shalom upon their lives but it only comes by the grace of God. There is one last scripture I want to share. Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.” What if this peace that we carry to make peace is the Shalom of God. I have so many stories of walking into houses, businesses or sitting on airplanes when the Shalom of God, which resides inside of me, flowed out of me into the lives of those that I encountered. I didn’t try to make that happen. It wasn’t as if I was trying to make peace in that situation. It just happened as a natural outflow of the Holy Spirit residing inside of me. He co-labors with us. We become vessels of his presence and from us that presence will touch many lives – not because we were given an evangelism strategy but simply because people are drawn to the light of God within us. We are cities on a hill or lights on a lamp-stand after all. What is in us shines for the whole world to see. That which shines is the glory of God, the shalom, the manifest goodness, peace and well being. The prosperity of heaven shines through you and touches everything you come into contact with. You are a tabernacle of Shalom. God is good and will do this in you. I pray that you will feel that Shalom in your heart. I pray that God opens the heavens over your life and that you begin to radiate with a new joy, hope and love. May many be drawn to the light of God within you and may you now and forever know that hope of glory.