Peace in Times of Uncertainty
December 7, 2020
| Most of us have heard tell of Gideon’s fleece and how he asked God to provide tangible confirmation, or physical proof, so that he could be sure of what God had said about using Gideon to accomplish miraculous deliverance for His people again. But, did you know that the same story introduces us to Jehovah Shalom, The Lord is Peace! Judges 6 1 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years… 11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” 13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” 14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” 15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 16 And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.” 17 Then he said to Him, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. 18 Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.” And He said, “I will wait until you come back.” 19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them. 20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21 Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. 22 Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. The story goes on to see Gideon destroying the altars of Baal and victory over the Midianites (Judges 6-8). I chose this story today for two reasons, one there is power in knowing and praying the Names and Attributes of God, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13). And two, it feels like we are in times of uncertainty and unrest such as what they faced in Gideon’s day, our very different but same season of personal and national unrest with very different but real anxieties and fears. You could totally read Judges 6:13 and replace Midianites with any number of things from today’s headlines. But, today as in Gideon’s day, our God is still Jehovah Shalom, The Lord (our) Peace. The Peace of God is ours through His grace and salvation, period. But, to experience that peace every day to the fullest, even in uncertain, unstable times when our hearts and minds are filled with anxieties and insecurities we have to practice—our faith in action—the spiritual discipline of seeking Him first. Isaiah 33:6 in The Message says that God keeps your days stable and secure. The NIV states, He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. When we let what is going on in the world consume our minds is when insecurity consumes us. When we renew our mind with scripture, we are not conformed to this world (Romans 12). Just a few of the many verses that direct us to actively bring our mind back to Jehovah Shalom: Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Job 22:21 Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you. 22 Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, And lay up His words in your heart. Psalm 4:8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. So, in these times when our minds repeatedly return to what we see and hear, the fear and growing insecurity, take those thoughts captive, and return to what is unseen, what is eternal! And in this advent season, grace and peace to you For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end (Isaiah 9) |
Previous
