DAY 06 | The LORD is Peace

So Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh. He called it Adonai Shalom (The LORD is Peace). To this day it is still in Ophrah, which belongs to Abiezer’s family.
Judges 6:24

photography by Erol Ahmed / calligraphy by Rita Ip

MUSIC

PRAYER

My Shalom, I adore You, for You are the peace that transcends all understanding, the peace that our troubled world is searching for.

Thank You, Jesus, for sacrificing yourself to bring forth shalom to mankind. Without You, it is impossible to know and experience true peace. Thank You for calming every storm in me.

Forgive me when I allow fears and worries to creep into my heart, sap my strength, sometimes paralyze me.

Holy Spirit, come upon me, so I can fully receive and tangibly experience shalom in every dimension. Enable me to carry it and release it wherever I go. Empower me to restore peace to my family, the community, the city, the country, and the world I live in.

Because You are my Shalom, I declare the same peace that Jesus experienced on earth is right inside me, ruling my heart. No circumstance can take it away from me.

A few facts…

Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace. It means finished, fulfilled, perfected, completed, harmony with oneself and others, welfare, safety, universal flourishing, wholeness and delight.
Adonai Shalom is one of three names for God that was given to an altar.
The angel of the LORD visited Gideon to recruit him as a new judge over Israel to deliver His people from the Midianites. Gideon thought he would die as he saw an angel, but the angel told him “Peace! Don’t be afraid! You are not going to die!” The incident had a significant impact on Gideon and he built an altar and named it Adonai Shalom (The LORD is Peace).

Exercise 1:

TWO-WAY JOURNALING

Find a quiet place, or use your headphones and music to drown out distracting noises. Sit still, and relax your shoulders, neck, and jaws.

Smile and Breathe. Smile, your indwelling peace is not dependent on your outward circumstances. Inhale through the nose as you focus on the word “SHALOM”, and deeply breathe in His peace that fills your entire being. When your lungs reach full capacity, pause for a moment. Thank Him sincerely for the harmony and stillness of your body, mind, and spirit. Then slowly and gently breathe out through your mouth, and release any inner unrest and conflicts you have. Repeat these steps if needed.

Today, we are writing to THE LORD is Peace. Let’s invite the Holy Spirit to guide you to an intimate conversation. Open your heart and allow Him to navigate your inner world. Listen to His response and record the dialogue in your journal.

[Part 1]
Dear Father, my Peace, …
[Part 2]
Dear child / (your name), …

• recount a time when you experienced His peace

• tell Him what or who is stealing your peace

• ask Him how to reclaim your inner peace
Check out APPENDIX 2 for more.

Exercise 2:

DECLARATION

He Himself is peace, and He is the ultimate source of peace. How does this relate to your most current situation? In your journal, write a personalized declaration. You may begin like this:

Because You are The LORD is Peace / My peace, I declare I can / I will / I am…

Read it a couple of times, declare it over yourself. This practice activates and reinvigorates our faith. Experience the power of agreeing with what God thinks of your situation.

This completes Day 6 of HE, thank you for joining me. Today, I pray that the One who calmed the storm by saying “Peace! Be Still” will also calm all your raging storms. He is always in full control.

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Bill Johnson. “Peace is not the absence of SOMETHING, it is the presence of SOMEONE.”