Tag: peace of God

Peace!

Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 

Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast.

The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”

But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”

So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace.

Judges 6:17, 19-24

Gideon had an encounter with the angel of the Lord but wanted evidence that it was really him. So Gideon made an offering, and, with one touch of the tip of the angel’s staff, the offering was consumed by fire. We’re not sure here if Gideon was dealing with an angel or some manifestation of God Himself. Maybe this was the pre-incarnate Son of God.

Gideon seemed to come to the realization that he was in God’s Presence. This realization absolutely terrified him. Over and over again in scripture, both in the Old and New Testaments, we see that there is an aspect of being in God’s raw Presence that is completely terrifying. There is a holy fear that comes upon people. This isn’t because God is scary but because He is pure power in His majesty. There is something about his overwhelming holiness that makes human beings instantly aware of our sinfulness and lowliness. In these moments, the “fear of the Lord” moves from just being a concept about honoring God into a tangible reality that they can feel in their bones.

Seeing Gideon in a state of complete terror, the angel of the Lord (likely the Lord Himself) said, “Peace!” This sounds really familiar.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!

John 20:19-21

When God says the word “peace,” it changes atmospheres, quiets storms, and has tangible effects on people. When God speaks “peace” He’s not just saying, “It’s okay.” When God says “peace” He is releasing the atmosphere of the Kingdom of God into the kingdom of the world.

Gideon feels the effect of peace being spoken over his life so much that he actually sets up an altar in that place and calls it, “The Lord is Peace.” In other words, when God speaks peace into our lives He is imparting an aspect of His very nature to us. Isaiah 9:6 prophesies that one of Jesus’s titles would be “Prince of Peace.”

Is there chaos in your life? In your heart? In your mind? Are you bound by fear and anxiety? If so, then peace is what you need, and God is the source of the kind of peace you need. Hear him speaking “Peace” to you today!

The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:5-7

Releasing Peace

As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.

Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 

Matthew 10:7-13

Jesus sent out His disciples to do what He had been doing–preach the message of the Kingdom, heal the sick, drive out demons, raise the dead. They had freely received the authority of Jesus and now they were to freely give it away, freely release it to people in the surrounding towns. And they were to take nothing with them as they went. They were sent out with total dependence on the Father to provide for them.

Jesus gave them a strategy for entering a town to do supernatural ministry. They were to find a “worthy person” and stay at their house until they leave the town. They were to give the household their greeting. In the Jewish culture, the greeting was to say “shalom” which means peace.

Jesus then advises that they let their peace rest on the house if the home is deserving but to take it back if it is not. When Jesus sends out the 72, He says something similar in Luke 10:

“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you.

Luke 10:5-6

I believe this indicates that peace (as well as other aspects of the Kingdom of God) is something that believers can “release” into an atmosphere and onto people.

Every aspect of the Kingdom can be found in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” One of the fruits of the Spirit is peace (Galatians 5:22). So, I believe the Holy Spirit in us can release His peace through us into a room and onto a person. In other words, the peace that resides in us can be sent out of us to rest on a house or on a person.

Philippians 4:7 says, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” And Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Peace here is described as something that can stand guard like a sentinel. It is something that can rule like a king. The peace of the Kingdom is not a weak, ethereal, whisp that evaporates with the slightest disturbance. The peace of God is dominant, invasive, and blanketing in the best possible way.

The peace of the Kingdom is a peace that dominates chaos (see Mark 4:39). The peace of Christ has the ability to rule; it has the ability to guard our hearts and minds from anxiety, fear, and worry. I believe this means we can see the impact of peace when it comes to rest on a person or in a room.

As followers of Jesus filled with the power of Spirit who walk with the delegated authority of Christ, we have the ability to release tangible peace wherever we go. I’ve experienced moments praying for people where I released the peace of Christ upon a person and watched as peace completely blanketed them. The peace of Christ completely dominated the fear, hopelessness, and despair they were just experiencing moments before.

I believe that sometimes when we are waiting for God to bring peace into a situation, He is actually waiting for us to release peace into the situation.

Where can you release peace today?