Shalom, Shalom!

        The following verse is first written in Hebrew for illustration with the translation, which is quite familiar, after it. Let me say at the beginning that I am not a person who speaks Hebrew or can read it. I just wanted to show that there are two words that are identical but we translate them differently and if you look up the verse in a Hebrew Bible, you will find the same thing. It is a Hebrew grammar principle. You can find the same thing by looking in your Strong's concordance. Isa 26:3  יצר סמוך תצר שׁלום שׁלום כי בך בטוח׃  say, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” 

        The two words are simply “shalom, shalom.” Doug Hershey defines the Hebrew word as: “Shalom” is taken from the root word shalam, which means, 'to be safe in mind, body, or estate.'” It speaks of completeness, fullness, or a type of wholeness that encourages you to give back — to generously re-pay something in some way.” So, the word “peace” here means more than the absence of war but applies to our whole being. Where can we find such peace as that” Isaiah gives us the answer here in this text. The two words, peace, peace, when used as it is in the translation is simply the “perfect” peace. We live in a world that is not characterized by peace at all. I have mentioned before how that in one day in 1985 there were 58 wars going on in the world. The global conflict tracker today mentions that there are 24 wars or conflicts, going on today. So, you see, we are not living in a climate that has peace as any characteristic. Whatsoever. Then, there are the internal wars that are going on in the life of every person on the planet. There are wars against relationships, wars against disease, wars against grief and wars against societies. We are not in a peaceful climate. We do live, however, in a time when we can have “perfect peace” In order to find this type of peace we have to look at the verse that Isaiah mentions and says that this peace if available to the person who puts his trust in God. The individual's mind is focused on God in each and every thing and not just on the outward difficulties that seem to readily consume us. We can't find peace in our own health, our financial status, our church or our government. Perfect peace can only come to the individual who completely trusts in God. If you soul is not at rest today, then you need to refocus your attention on God's ability to calm all of the exterior forces that are battling against you and then you will find that “perfect peace.” Praise God today for the Peace that only He can give. Shalom