Breaking the Silence: Shalom (Perfect Peace)
Breaking the Silence: Shalom (Perfect Peace)
Key Bible Verses
Genesis 1:1-5, 31, 2:1-2, 25
Digging Deeper
As human beings, we long for peace. We are tired of hostility and strife. We are weary of the pressures and stresses of the world. God tells us that perfect peace or shalom comes when we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, accepting that He died on the cross for our sins and providing a way for us to be reconciled to God. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Once we have accepted Christ as our Savior and obtained peace from God, the world and its craziness will still be happening around us. In what ways can we find a few peaceful moments as we face this busy season of the year?
Find a quiet and peaceful place to be alone with our thoughts and feelings.
Connect with God, who gives true inner peace through prayer, Bible reading, or worship.
Ask God to provide His peace and remove any anxieties or worries.
Seek a peaceful, calm, clear mind free from distractions and negative thoughts.
Trust in God for His peace, provision, and love.
Let go of grudges or bitterness toward others, replacing these feelings with love and forgiveness.
Show compassion and understanding toward those who have done wrong to you.
Determine to be strong and courageous, fighting for peace for those unable to care for themselves.
Express gratitude for God’s peace, presence, and guidance.
Pray that God’s peace will spread from person to person, community to community, and nation to nation and that the ripple effect of peace will spread throughout the world.
As the song, “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” shares, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be. With God as our Father, brothers all are we. Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony. Let peace begin with me. Let this be the moment now. With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow: To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” (By Jill Jackson Miller and Sy Miller)
What Not To Miss
Christmas is a time when God broke the silence in creation.
This series will examine three places in the Old Testament where God speaks after a long period of silence.
As we build awareness of all the places and times God spoke after a long silence, this series will close with the Christmas Eve gatherings and show how God broke the ultimate silence at Jesus’ birth and presence.
There are times of silence in life, and regardless of what silence we face, God wants to break the silence in your life.
Main Point:
When God SPEAKS, breaking the silence, He creates a sphere of SHALOM.
1. What is shalom?
Shalom is wholeness, completeness, peace, wellness, intended functionality, and flourishing.
The opposite of shalom can be chaos, which actually may be good or bad.
Bad chaos is when everything is dark, people are confused, and there is chaos because no one knows what the plan is or what they should be doing.
Good chaos can yield disorder, elements of darkness, and confusion, but there is a plan, it is being communicated, and things are incrementally progressing positively towards a final picture and product.
Genesis 1 depicts good chaos.
Later on, when sin enters the world, the opposite of shalom would take on a more tainted and vile expression, exemplifying bad chaos.
Shalom is God exercising His infinite wisdom to create (sustain and rebuild) a whole world.
2. How does God bring shalom?
The seven things that God does to bring about shalom.
He speaks. God’s words bring something out of nothing. God’s word brings life and light. God’s word gives shape and formation to creation.
He collaborates. The Trinity is involved in Creation and bringing Shalom.
He works wisely. There is a progression with process, procedures, and patterns.
He meets needs. God knows what is needed to accomplish His plan and is discerning of needs.
He gives generously. In creation, God didn’t cut corners; He spared no expense; He gave His best!
He blesses. God’s blessing involves prosperity and flourishing.
He dwells. God is going to be present. He creates a Garden and puts man in it, where He communes with them, acting as Overseer, Gardener, Shepherd, King, and Friend.
3. When do you know you have God’s shalom?
Three Characteristics that Express God’s shalom in our Life:
Rest
God has created His kingdom. He has brought Heaven to Earth, and now He can rest in what He has done.
Rejoice
There is celebration, praise, gratitude, and thanksgiving.
Righteous
There is a right standing with God and with one another, and there is shalom.
When God speaks, He creates a sphere of shalom.
The Christmas season marks the time when God spoke into the chaos and darkness of sin and began the restoration project of Shalom.
Have you let God break the silence by letting Him speak shalom in your life?
Life Application
As the busy holiday season approaches, consider ways to seek peace amid all the activities and hustle and bustle. List ways you can relate peacefully and calmly when circumstances are good and when circumstances are stressful or difficult. Plan a peaceful time in your holiday schedule to positively relate to God, yourself, and others, bringing you closer to God.
Small Group Discussion Questions
What is the most peaceful place you have ever experienced?
What is the result of having peace with God?
What is the result of cultivating peace with others?
How does the Bible teach that true peace will be found?
How does Biblical peace differ from the peace that the world and our culture seek?
Daily Devotional Bible Passages
Day 1: Peace-John 14:27; Psalm 29:11; Psalm 37:37
Day 2: Well-being-Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 4:8; 1 Peter 5:7
Day 3: Agreement-2 Corinthians 13:11; James 3:18; Romans 14:19
Day 4: Harmony-Romans 12:18; Colossians 3:15; Hebrews 12:14
Day 5-Stillness-Psalm 46:10; Psalm 37:7; Isaiah 30:15
Prayer
Lord, I come to you with a heart that longs for godly shalom, which is true peace and wholeness in every aspect of life. I know you are the source of all shalom, and I ask that you guide me and teach me how to seek Your peace in every situation. I pray for guidance on how to have peace in my relationships with others. Help me to love my neighbors, forgive those who have hurt me, and reconcile with those I have hurt. May Your love and grace flow through me, giving me courage, healing, and restoration of broken relationships—restoring these fractured and challenging relationships to peaceful and loving ones. Also, I ask for Your peace to invade my heart and mind. Help me have a peace that surpasses all understanding, even in the most difficult circumstances. Let me seek peace in my community and the world. Bring an end to violence, injustice, and suffering, and help me work towards the true shalom that will bless neighbors and nations with peace that can only come from You.
