THE STORY OF SHALOM

When I visited Israel years ago, I was impressed by the incredible significance and the lessons to be learned everywhere we went! The names of gates, cities, streets…  the walls, the mountains, even the rocks cry out with the eternal story and link us to our Creator. I was compelled to pick up little rocks everywhere we went, as though I needed to preserve and savor every connection to the Holy Land. 

That same sense of wonder is aroused as I study the word of God and learn the lovely language of Israel. I’m in love with the Hebrew alphabet! Or, I should say, the aleph-bet! In Hebrew, unlike any other language, every letter has a story, a meaning, even a numeric value—and every jot and tittle has significance! I LOVE THAT!

This morning I woke up meditating on the word ‘shalom.’ I pictured it written in Hebrew with the lovely shapes of the letters, and started taking them one by one, thinking about what each letter teaches.

Isn’t it beautiful? Shin, lamed, vav, mem. I just went into my photoshop and added the little dots, called niqqud, over the right branch of the shin and the upper left of the vav. 

Let’s go letter by letter… 

1. First, the shin, on the far right, resembles a menorah like the one used in the tabernacle. It burned with oil and the fire was never to go out. Remember, God said He is a consuming fire and we know He never slumbers or sleeps. Yahovah watches over His people day and night. So, the menorah symbolizes Yeshua who said, “I am the light of the world.” He came down to show us the way and guide us to the Father of lights. 

This lovely letter is actually pronounced, “sh,” just like you were hushing a baby and rocking him to sleep. Whenever you’re feeling anxious or worried, imagine the Lord of Creation holding you in his arms and whispering, “Shhh, I got you! I AM your defender and protector who never sleeps. I see everything clearly and always, always know the way! In my presence there is no darkness. So, you can rest in Me.” 

2. Second, the lamed, the 12th letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet, and the one that clearly looms high above every other letter. It is right in the middle, at the heart of the whole list of 23 letters, and because it is the highest, it is said to represent the King of Kings. 

This idea is even more developed by its neighboring letters on each side of it. Interestingly, on the one side the preceding letter represents the throne of glory and the other side is the mem, which represents malkut, the kingdom. When these three letters are put together, they spell the word Melekh, which means king. Surprise! Yeshua is right there, standing, leading, sovereign and powerful, watching over you! 

מֶלֶךְ

If that’s not enough, the lamed is shaped like a shepherd’s staff. So add this letter to the first one and you already have an incredible message:  “Shhh, I got you! I know the way and I will guide you as a shepherd guides his precious lamb. Follow me. I AM King of the Universe!”

3. We’re already blessed and we’re only half-way through the word! Now we come to the incredible humble vav. It is shaped like a tent peg and the very first time it is seen in the Torah is in the very first sentence. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The vav is the 6th word of the Torah and literally connects the heavens and the earth in this first sentence of the entire Bible.

.רֵאשִׁית, בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים, אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְאֵת הָאָרֶץבְּ

The tent peg also reminds us of the silver pegs in the Tabernacle that bound the curtains in the place where God would meet and dwell with us. Of course, tent peg also points to the large stakes that literally pinned Yeshua to the cross. Truly, this is where heaven came down and made a way for the sons of Adam to be accepted in heavenlies. By accepting those nails into his own flesh, He established peace with God on our behalf. He PAID it all! 

So the lovely little vav seems to whisper a reminder that heaven has come down, and His presence is promised. He has said, “I AM Yahovah your God. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Trust in God; trust also in me. I am with you always. I will hold your life in my nail-pierced hands.  I bind you to me FOREVER!” 

4. Last but not least, the mem. Centuries ago it was first written to resemble waves, up and down three times, because the Hebrew word for water is mayim. What a great illustration of the Torah, God’s Word, as a fountain of wisdom for all who find it. And again, “whoever drinks the water I will give him will never thirst again! On the contrary, the water I give him will become a spring of water inside him, welling up into eternal life!” (Jn 4:14)  

Remember the time Messiah stood up on the last day of the feast called Hoshana Rabbah, and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! Whoever puts his trust in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his inmost being!” (Jn 7:37-38) 

The passage goes on to describe how this living water referred to the Holy Spirit that was yet to be sent. Is there any better way to have peace than by God’s Word and the Holy Spirit in our lives?
So, to wrap it up, isn’t it beautiful how the very letters of the word shalom instruct us?

Let's sum it up... 

It begins with a message about the unending fire of God, the light of the world, wrapping His arms around us as a Father holding His child and shushing us to calm our fears. We are held by the all-seeing Father of lights!

Then, we are gently reminded that He is King of the Universe, still on the throne. He has risen up above anything that would threaten to undo us. He is our living Shepherd. Nothing can separate us from His great love and no one is more powerful!

He is bound to us just as Yeshua bound himself to the cross to prove the extent of his love and bring us the promise of heaven. We are secure!

He gave us everything we need in unending supply, including living water, a fountain of life bubbling up. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer and gives unlimited wisdom, unending comfort, and HIS incredible peace! Do not fear!

No matter where you are and no matter what you’re facing, remember what Jesus said: 

“My peace I give to you. 
Not like the world gives, give I to you. 

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

SHALOM!

John14:27

Part III - Ride the Wind

I keep writing about the wind because I need to stay focused on the power and presence of God while my life is in transition.  It's been remarkable to observe this simple but profound illustration that is physically present, all around us. I've been contemplating its silence, its unpredictability, its force, and of course, its illustration of the invisible yet omnipresent God I love.

Wind can be a gentle refreshing on a hot day, or it can snap giant trees in one frightful blast of hurricane strength. Wind takes different forms, from a breeze to a cyclone! Like Jesus, the first time he came as an infant, then riding on a humble donkey, but the next time he will come as a king, with a blast in the skies bringing judgment with his armies. A time for all things, from sweet mercy to severe judgment.

No wonder Jesus referred to the wind when he met a confused priest in the middle of the night and introduced him to heavenly things. (John 3) Wherever you are on the planet, wind  illustrates and reminds us of the all-powerful and gentle, the essential and life-giving Spirit of God who created it.

Yesterday afternoon as I sat on my favorite Adirondack chair in the yard chewing chicken stir-fry and mulling over a tangle of jumbled thoughts, a little white puffball floated down from the pines and hovered before my eyes. It was fairy-like, like Peter Pan’s Tinkerbell.

It was about an inch in size, perfectly rounded and whole, and strikingly silent and peaceful. It came down from the trees above me, danced right in my line of vision for about five seconds, then flitted off, obscured in the garden. I’ve never seen one like it, and God’s timing, as always, was impeccable. I wanted to take a picture but it was gone with a breath of air, leaving me to ponder the sweet sense of God’s smile peeking over the treetops at me.

I laughed out loud. Lord! You know my anxious thoughts and sent this sweet reminder of your presence. Thank you, Father!Oddly, there were no others to be found, though I watched for them. I had even been searching the web for such an image to illustrate the presence of the wind for previous posts. 

It strikes me as I’m recording this little episode, how God delights to surprise and uplift us. And how many times in my life that occurs when I am busy chasing thoughts around my scattered brain! It’s as though God himself is interrupting my mental ping pong to make a point. As if to say once again, “Karen, I’m still here. You are not alone. Rest in my presence.”

The Lord calls my attention to something fabulous, and liberating, and delightful. He brings pure JOY into a muddled moment. God’s presence, and the reminder of his omniscience over the details of my life, scatters every impulse to worry or fret, when I am doing just that!

Why bother to figure out my way since I have no power to complete it? It’s like wrestling with a map in foreign terrain, turning it this way and that, looking for street names and dinky numbers and you realize you are lost. Life can be so confusing!

Then, the Lord pulls up in a limo and says with a wink, “I’ll take you where you need to go. Hop in.”  This is the modern version of Matthew 11:28-30. It's an invitation to find rest for my soul by coming to him.

Rather than sitting in the driver’s seat and stressing over all the details, He’s at the wheel and invites you to ride shotgun as a travel companion, and enjoy the trip! Which would you rather do?

Choose to trust God. You can rest in the presence of the ever-present maker of the wind and let Him direct your path. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." 

God, help me to remember that you’ve got it. You’ve got me. You’ve got the plan and the whole map in clear view. 

Extravagant Gift

We have stowed all the ornaments and heaved our trees out into the snow. Now we are three weeks past watching the ball drop in Times Square, planning New Year resolutions and toasting to a happy future. Almost overnight it seems the stores were cleared and shelves newly stocked with Valentine’s hearts and candies.

Where does it all go? All the hope and hype melts like candle wax. 

You gotta admit, there’s no time quite like those final weeks of the year when everything around us glitters and points to the BIG day. Kids know—it’s the biggest celebration of the year. It is a festival of lights and a highlight like no other holiday. Christmas is magical.

There’s joyous holiday music, colored lights, wrappings, ornaments and trees. Everywhere we look we see twinkling houses, and bustling shopping malls in that enchanting season of expectation. Billions of cards are mailed, cookies decorated, candles lit, and countless packages are wrapped with care.

Somewhere in the midst of all this activity, lies a story that ignites the hearts of those who know it. We should pause and swell with gratitude because two thousand years ago the birth of a small inconspicuous child changed everything.

He demonstrated the extravagant love of an invisible God and made the Almighty reachable by becoming one of us!

Interestingly, all of this happens precisely at the time of year when the world grows darkest! The sun sets earlier, temperatures plummet, and the nights grow longer. Fireplaces are stoked and blue smoke curls from chimneys as we dig in for the long chill of winter, wondering how long this year?

I wonder how often this is so, when light from above bursts on the scene at our darkest hour. When all seems hopeless, dawn breaks and love is born by the God who created it.

He came down and dwelt among us, and “in him came grace and truth. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” (Jn 1:17-18) His birth was a glorious surprise, but many missed it completely.

Dear God, in all the hustle-bustle of our celebrations and gift-giving, perhaps we have overlooked the greatest gift of all. It is life itself in a relationship you made possible through the offering of your own body on the cross! In Jesus we can approach your throne to receive forgiveness. Father, call us back to remembrance and thanks for your extravagant gift.

Portrait of Expectency

It’s been building for weeks. What is God going to do? What is He saying to me? My heart can become fretful and distracted.

Just before Christmas with my thoughts a jumble of shopping lists and gift ideas, I passed the lake nearby and my eye caught a great blue heron standing in the shallow (and not yet frozen) water by the rocks. He struck a perfect silhouette with his long beak stretched forward. He was ready to pounce, yet standing in perfect stillness against the colors of the lake and sky.

It was such a beautiful sight I turned the car around and stopped, then walked out to a better vantage point to admire him. Wow, what a portrait of expectancy! Oh Lord, I want to stand like that.

Poised and upheld in grace.
Watchful, but trusting.
Perched in readiness, but anxious for nothing.

Yes, Lord, a portrait of expectancy and readiness, but a quiet voice of serenity and wisdom seeped through.

I never did get his picture. As I neared with camera in hand, he spread his great wings and flew along the tree line, apparently intent on fishing in solitude. But I decided in that moment, I want to stand like that—unruffled and resting, knowing the all-sufficient grace. It is enough.

“Come and see the works of the Lord,” the Psalmist declared. “Be still and know that I am God…. I will be exalted in the earth... The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” (from Psalm 46)

And again, David wrote in the Desert of Judah [which means praise], "Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you;  your right hand upholds me." (Psalm 63:7-8)