Overcome

…That you may have peace. Sometimes words don’t suffice. They are too weak. They don’t paint a full picture. Like a photograph at a natural wonder of beauty—sometimes words don’t do it justice. Peace is such a word.

In English, peace is most often equated with an absence or ending of violence. We pray for peace—but the substance of those prayers is about ending a conflict and getting to a point where you don’t kill one another. That is not the peace that Jesus brings. An end of conflict is not why Jesus came. He came for more. Much more.

Shalom is the Hebrew word we translate as peace. It means a fullness and completeness. When God breaths peace upon you—you are made whole and full. Shalom is a depth of thriving. Shalom is living the life. Not that there are no hiccups or hurdles. No, Shalom is the moments when the hiccups and hurdles don’t slow you down; steal your joy; or zap your energy. Shalom is God working and you sensing His work and joining in with your Maker.

Shalom is also a gift from God that comes to you, not because of your circumstances but despite them. Peace—God’s peace—surpasses our understanding (Philippians 4:6). It shows up when and where you don’t suspect it. It isn’t the result of everything falling into place in your life. No! Peace is a fruit of the Spirit. It ripens in the soil of faith. And it can blossom in the strangest of places.

The Shalom of God is the band playing as the Titanic sinks. It finds you on the other end of a pink slip. It sneaks up on you at the funeral home. Shalom happens in those beautiful moments when heaven intersects with earth. It rests on you as God’s kingdom intersects with your world.

And maybe that is why Jesus reminds us that turmoil and trouble lurks in waiting for us all. None of us get out of this life alive. Trouble is the gift this world gives to all her inhabitants—and she gives it in spades.

Our courage, hope, and peace is found in the one who has overcome. It is difficult and fleeting to find courage in our own victories. They don’t last, have you noticed? Why is that?

Because there is always more trouble that can come. Things can always get worse. We’ve all had that kind of week, right? Or month? Or year? Trouble, seemingly, knows no limits.

Thanks be to God that our hope, our confidence, and our shalom comes from Jesus. He has overcome all of the tribulations and troubles. He stands on the other side.

Because He has overcome so, too, will you. So have courage, hope, and Shalom.