The Hebrew word Shalom means “peace, prosperity, favor, health, and well-being.” Most people believe that the path to peace and joy is created by experiencing “ideal” circumstances, and we all have different thoughts of what “ideal” looks like. Some say they would be at peace if they had a perfect partner, a better job, more money, no health issues, flawless children, a bigger house, or relocating to the beach. Although it is tempting to believe that if we can somehow create our “ideal” circumstance we will experience genuine, heartfelt peace, this is far from the truth. The path to genuine peace always starts with the belief in God’s unconditional love, concern, and desire for our best outcome. This belief in God’s loving character will help create growing faith inside our minds and hearts, regardless of circumstances. As we continue to turn toward the “Prince of Peace”, our faith and His grace will together create a yearning in our hearts, minds, and personalities to know, and follow Him. When our mind and heart receives and believes God’s loving, positive truths and our mouth makes positive confessions, then we will experience greater levels of peace.   Our victories over the enemy’s negativity will release shalom. We will progressively move forward, as we learn to lean on, confidently hope in, and trust in the Rock of Ages who has the power to keep us in His perfect peace.

“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. So trust in the Lord [commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him] forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages]” (Isaiah 26:3-4).