Happy April, Friends!

This year, we are journeying through the Bible, discovering God's Promises. You can read our introductory post about why I chose this topic HERE. If you started with us in January, we have already inscribed 90 of God’s Promises. This month, we are set to discover thirty more promises of God in Scripture.

One of the verses we are inscribing this month comes from Psalm 119:165.
Let’s take a look at this promise together.

“Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” - Psalm 119:165 NIV

A BIT OF BACKGROUND.

Psalm 119 has been called the golden alphabet of the Bible. It is divided into twenty-two sections. Each section has eight verses, and every verse in a section begins with the corresponding Hebrew letter. The writer is unknown, but whoever he or she was is a genius. Psalm 119 is a work of art.

Nearly every verse contains one of eight words for God's revelation. The words are similar to one another but slightly different in their definitions.

Law. torah, meaning instruction.
Testimony. 'edot, meaning what God solemnly testifies to be his will.
Precepts. piqqudim, meaning what God has appointed to be done.
Statute. khuqqim and khuqqot, meaning what the divine Lawgiver has laid down
Commandment. mitswot, meaning what God has commanded
Word.' imrah and dabar, meaning what God has spoken
Judgment or Rules. mishpatim, meaning what the divine Judge has ruled to be right.

“PEACE I GIVE YOU.”

In John 14:27, Jesus told His disciples, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid." Have you ever read that verse and thought, "I believe that. I receive that. Now, why don't I experience that peace?" I know I have.

I think it is because we try to find peace according to the standards of the world. If we just had more money, then we'd have peace. If my health was better, then I'd have peace. If my kids were getting along and I had a better marriage, then I'd have peace. If my boss quit, then all would be well. All of those things may be true and aren't necessarily wrong to go after. But when those things don't work out, our peace is rattled. And if we are honest, we can admit that often, we are looking for temporal peace and not eternal peace.

I don't think it is our fault that we believe peace simply means the absence of conflict. Our definition of peace pales in comparison to the Hebrew definition, the original language of the Bible.

SHALEEM SHALOM.

SHALOM is the Hebrew word for peace. It comes from another Hebrew word, SHALEEM, which means whole, full, or complete. Isaiah said, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." (Isaiah 26:3) Perfect Peace is Shaleem Shalom.

So, peace comes from a word that means full, whole, and complete. This is no coincidence. The perfect peace Isaiah speaks of, the peace that Jesus promises, is the culmination of an internal process. It is a work in our inner hearts that brings us to a perfectly whole state of being that is not affected by outside circumstances.

When we can stay calm in the middle of the storm, we are being perfected in the Messiah. When our hearts are perfectly contented when nothing is going right, we are clinging to the peace that Jesus promises. When the world's temporal things are whirling and wavering, we hold fast to The Anchor for our souls and are not shaken. This is the eternal peace that we all crave.

As I said, this perfect peace is the culmination of a process – an internal one. It does not happen over night. Instead, it is a working on our hearts to be more like Jesus. Peace is a perfect state of being, which is not affected by the circumstances surrounding it. When we can hold this kind of peace in the soul, we are perfected in our Savior.

HOW DO WE FIND THIS PEACE?

Shaleem Shalom sounds fantastic, doesn't it? To live in this kind of perfect, whole, completeness of heart sounds like utopia. And if we are honest, it sounds difficult and too good to be true.

Psalm 119:165 holds the answer to finding this perfect peace.

A bit earlier, I mentioned that each section of Psalm 119 corresponds to a Hebrew letter. Psalm 119:165 begins with the 21st letter, and it is the letter Shin or שׁ‎. Inside this section, we find the key to having perfect, complete, wholeness . . . peace.

Psalm 119:161-168. (Bold added for emphasis)
"Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words. I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil. I hate and detest falsehood but I love your law. Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.
Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
I wait for your salvation, LORD, and I follow your commands. I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly. I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you."

Do you see how to grab hold of perfect peace?

No matter what is coming against you, position your heart to stand in awe of His Word. No matter who is trying to "steal your peace," rejoice in the promises of Scripture. Love His instructions which are found in the Word and through prayer. Follow His commands. Obey His statutes and love them greatly.

Loving the Word of God.
Knowing His Word.
Abiding in the Truth of the Word . . . Jesus. (John 15)
Obeying the Word of God.
Following His commands.
Trusting in the Father and His Words.
Staying steadfast in all these things . . . Friends, this is how you find that inner, unshakeable peace.

You won't love the Word unless you know the Word.
Get in your Bible, read it, pray over it, seek His face, meditate on it, and fall in love with Scripture.

Great peace have they that love Your Word. When the storms of life come their way, when their peace is threatened, when everything seems to be going wrong . . . nothing will make them stumble. 💛

"Yes, a true love for the great Book will bring us great peace from the great God and be a great protection to us. Let us live constantly in the society of the law of the LORD, and it will breed in our hearts a restfulness such as nothing else can. The Holy Spirit acts as a Comforter through the Word and sheds abroad those benign influences which calm the tempests of the soul.
Nothing is a stumbling block to the man who has the Word of God dwelling in him richly. He takes up his daily cross, and it becomes a delight. For the fiery trial he is prepared and counts it not strange, so as to be utterly cast down by it.
He is neither stumbled by prosperity - as so many are - nor crushed by adversity - as others have been - for he lives beyond the changing circumstances of external life . . . ". Charles Spurgeon.