Yaba Baptist Church: Cup Of Faith Daily Devotional 19 November 2022 – Shalom! Shalom!
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TOPIC: Shalom! Shalom!
BIBLE TEXT: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” – Isaiah 26:3
In the Hebrew translation, the words translated “perfect peace” in today’s text, is “shalom! shalom!” which literally means ‘peace, peace.’ In other words, shalom! shalom! means double peace. According to the prophet, God would give double peace to those whose minds are stayed on Him.
In the Old Testament, shalom means “completeness, soundness, welfare, to be at ease spiritually and emotionally and to have a sense of internal well-being despite adverse circumstances.” In the New Testament, the Greek word for peace is ‘eirene’ which means “to bring peace, to live in peace, to be undisturbed in all circumstances.” This is promised to those whose minds are ‘stayed on God’. The word ‘stayed’ means to lean upon or to take hold of. Isaiah 26:3 was meant to be a song. Often, when God wanted any truth to be etched in the memory of His people, He communicated it as a song. The people were to always remember that God is the One who gives perfect peace. They were to fix their minds on this truth and rest secure in it.
If we must enjoy this peace then we must fix our eyes on the Lord, we must guard our minds against fear. The mind in this context includes our thoughts and imaginations of the mind. Fear and distress can fill our minds causing anxiety and worry as a result of our imaginations. In Matthew 14:30, when Peter fixed his mind and gaze upon Jesus, he could walk on the stormy sea but when his eyes shifted from the Master, he began to sink. When his mind stayed on the Lord, he had peace in the midst of the storm. That is why we need to consciously disconnect from anything that feeds our fears. You do not necessarily need to fix your eyes on the media and your mind on the demonic and satanic predictions of false prophets. If you do, you will live in perpetual fear and anxiety. It thus becomes necessary that you insulate your mind with the word of God (Psalm 119:165).
As we watch events unfold in the world, we don’t have to allow fear to rule our lives. According to God in Isaiah 54:10, mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but God’s kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall His covenant of peace be removed. There is a “covenant of peace” that God is committed to and Jesus is the guarantee of that peace. He is Lord even over the storms.
Beloved of God, when the devil brings a mega-storm into your life, know that God is able to turn it around to a mega-calm. In Psalm 89:9, The Psalmist says of God, “You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.” The sea may be raging now against you but as Catherine Booth once said, “the waters are rising now, but so am I. I am not going under, but over.” That’s your confession and that’s your experience.
PROPHETIC PRAYER
I pray for you today:
- May the Lord terminate your fears and struggles in the name of Jesus.
- The Lord will give you the needed courage to walk over the storms of life.
- He will give you peace in the midst of turbulence.
- You will not shift your gaze nor will you lose focus.
- This weekend, the Lord will bless you with double peace.
So shall it be in Jesus name. Amen.
Enjoy your weekend.
CHRIST IS THE ANSWER.
Yours in Christ,
Revd Dr. Bayo Sola Aremu
Church pastor
Yaba Baptist Church
Sabo-Yaba, Lagos
If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to yababaptist@yahoo.com, +234 1 291 3962, +234 706 469 0938.
