July 16, 2014
A Song of Ascents, by David…
“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that is built as a city that is compact together; to which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord…an ordinance for Israel-to give thanks to the name of the Lord… “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your palaces.” Psalm 122:1-4, 6, and 7
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem…Pray for peace…Pray for world peace…Pray for personal peace…Pray for the Prince of Peace to reign…in His Temples…
Throughout my life-time, and yours also, there has always been the great need and the great call to pray for Israel…for peace…for the Shalom-peace…and I want my heart to be passionate to pray…to passionately love whom God loves and to pray for the peace which is woven throughout scripture…to pray for the Kingdom…
Several years ago, I began to wear a necklace which was a reminder to me to pray as well as stirring my heart and jolting me from an apathetic position, and which, I might add, sparked very interesting conversations…The dove of peace was perceived by some as “the quest for world peace”, a profound inspiration, yet often, the cliché we hear in political circles…But what was captivating to some was the charm, the Star of David encircling the Cross…and this charm rested on top of the larger circular medallion. I wear the necklace, specifically as a statement of the perfect peace of our Loving God…the peace He desires for Israel…the peace He desires for all of His people.
Recently, I began to seriously consider exactly what God meant when He spoke of ‘peace’ in His Word…And when I was willing to release the generic and the contemporary perceptions of this word, peace, I was, once again amazed, at yet, another attribute and characteristic of our Almighty God…I caught a glimpse of His heart-beat…
It is interesting to me that one of the first references in scripture to ‘peace’ is made in Genesis 15:15, where God is assuring Abram, a man who was in fellowship with God, that he will live a good long life…and he will face the end of his life in ‘peace’ and God continues on and makes a covenant-promise with him…with his descendents… God keeps His promises…always…Shalom is a covenant word expressing the faithfulness of God in His relationship with His children…with His people. Peace is then mentioned several hundreds of times through both testaments…
And this Promise-Keeper God, revealed His Mighty character during the seven years that the Israelites were in rebellion and were in the hands of the oppressive Midianites. In the midst of their disobedience in the midst of their suffering, they cried out to the Lord, and the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, a man from the weakest clan in Manasseh…but the Lord answered Gideon, “Surely, I will be with you…” Judges 6:16, and then, He instructed Gideon as to how to lead the people out of the bondage which they were experiencing…In Judges 6:24, “Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it “The Lord Is Peace.” YAHWEH SHALOM…The Lord is Peace! Gideon understood that the Almighty God, whom he served, whom he loved, was “The God of Peace”…of Shalom Peace. God revealed this part of His character.
Yes, our Loving Father desires that we have His Peace…that we live in Peace…that we die in Peace…When He created mankind…He carved that place in the heart of man and of woman-kind…the place that cannot be satisfied and filled by synthetic sources or man-made inventions and contraptions, not by mortal man or mortal woman…but rather the place which is carved out and can be satisfied only by the presence and the character of the Creator…
The Hebrew word Shalom means to be safe, sound, healthy, perfect, complete, and signifies a sense of well-being and harmony …completeness…wholeness…peace, health ,tranquility, prosperity, rest, a sense of calm…without anxiety or stress…health for souls and for spirits…Shalom comes from living in harmony with God…
The Quest for Peace…
Historically, peace has been an elusive venture…always sought…but, found only in the Truth Paradox…
In recent months and weeks, as we watch and listen to and read the news, the bombings, the kidnappings, the violence, there are those skeptics who believe that the voice of love and peace has been silenced…but you and I know different…
With fifty of our Lake Hills ATX church friends having just returned from their tour of the Holy Land, I found myself riveted by the news of the escalated unrest in the Middle East and we eagerly searched for the news of the developing events. As I listened to the reports of the efforts at the cease-fire, I was captivated as I listened to the Israelite leaders as they professed their intense and thorough commitment to the protection of their citizens and their territory…as they hailed the Iron Dome Air Defense System which recognizes the trajectory of incoming rockets and whether they are headed for major population centers; those which threaten the populous are shot down. Israelis were reminded though that although their country possesses the technology of the Iron Dome, their ‘iron discipline’ must prevail so that people will not become complacent…but must remain disciplined and vigilant…responding to the sirens and seeking cover in the safe rooms or bomb shelters which buildings are required to contain according to the 1951 civil defense law. And now, structures called, “protected spaces” have been added to the defense status of this tiny country, in direct response to the First Gulf War in which warning times for attacks were shortened and because of imminent the threat of chemical weapons as well.
In recent months and weeks, as we watch and listen to and read the news, the bombings, the kidnappings, the violence… there are those skeptics who believe that the voice of love and peace has been silenced…but you and I know different…
But, where is Peace?
The Iron Dome
As I thought about the technology of the defense system which serves as a shield…offers shelter…provides protection from enemies, I began to envision the protection and provision of our Yahweh God…Our Refuge, Our Shield, Our Fortress, Our Dwelling Place, Our Strong Tower.
Just as the Iron Dome stands ready, hovering with its protection and its shield for its citizens, and as the shelters and the safe places and the protected spaces offer locations of refuge and safety for the people of Israel, Our God Almighty offers safety as His children abide in His Presence. While the Iron Dome, although highly sophisticated, is not impenetrable, it offers an amazing and valuable service to the people of the tiny country, with every intention of performing perfectly and efficiently…Its intention and purpose is a valiant and is an admirable motive and attempt, but far from perfect, far from total security, far from complete freedom from danger from an ever-present enemy. A rocket slips through the defense barrier, a car bomb slips through road-blocks…property and infrastructure are destroyed, people are harmed, some losing their lives…
Israel, although God’s original chosen…does not always live to honor Almighty God…does not always honor His statues…And, the truth is, neither do I. My futile attempts at obedience fall short of the God Almighty’s worthiness…And this is the story of mankind…But God keeps His promises…always…Shalom is a covenant word expressing the faithfulness of God in His relationship with His children…with His people.
HIS IRON DOME
Psalm 91
“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him.”
He will rescue you…
He will protect you…
He will cover you…
He will shelter you…
“His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night…If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you…He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands…The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name. When they call on Me, I will answer…I will be with them in trouble…and I will give them My salvation.”
HIS IRON DOME…
Our Fortress and our Refuge and our Strong-Tower God, made His covenant with His children, not because of their attributes, not because of our attributes or the lack of them…He made His covenant, His promise, gave His Word…because of who He IS…because of what He IS…because of His purpose…because of His intention toward His people…toward the Jew…toward the Gentile…
He IS the impenetrable covering, the refuge, the shelter, the safe place, the armor, the protection for His people…He WAS, He IS, He WILL BE…
And it is in HIS IRON DOME, that one finds peace…
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54”10
YAHWEH SHALOM…
HE Gave HIS WORD…
Fascinating, when a person gives their word, they make a promise which they fully and completely and earnestly intend to keep… the promise made, the covenant…And when a person keeps their word, they fulfill their promise, their covenant…
Our Lord God sent His Word, in the flesh…”And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”…John 1:14. The Lord God is a Promise-Keeper…He is a Covenant-Keeper…
And, “He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…” Isaiah 9:6
And in the midst of the turmoil after the crucifixion of our Yeshua Christ, He spoke the words to Thomas, “Peace be with you…”This peace is from the Greek word, eirene, a state of national tranquility…harmony, concord…security and prosperity of the Messiah’s peace…the tranquil state of the soul assured of its salvation through Christ…
He is the Prince of Peace!
He is the answer to the Quest for Peace….He is Peace…He is the completion…He is the tranquility…He is the wholeness…He is the
Redeemer…He is the Reconciler…He is the Son of God! He is Peace!
Iron Discipline
I mentioned that the Israeli leader called for “iron discipline” among the citizens…referring to the necessity for them to stay vigilant, to remain focused and on alert at all times…
Hmmmm, that sounds familiar…Iron…great strength, hardness, determination… Discipline…a tenacious determination to adhere to rules, to behavior, systematic instruction…
“Put on the whole armor of God…” Ephesians 6:11
“Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times…” 1 Peter 5:8
The men’s group at LHC, our church, is called Iron Men. I have often thought of the strength of the men’s collaboration and I am thankful for the group of men who commit to the challenge of doing life together…adhering to God’s Best for their lives.
I now see a new dimension to their name and what it means to be tenacious for God. There is an incredible accountability and empowerment which comes from the unity of these men. There is a strength, a determination, a commitment, a tenacious allegiance and devotion, a responsibility to their commitment to chase after their relationship with the Lord. These Iron Men exercise Iron discipline as they pursue their personal relationship with the God almighty.
And it is in HIS IRON DOME, that one finds peace…
Our Fortress and our Refuge and our Strong-Tower God, made His covenant with His children, not because of their attributes, not because of our attributes or the lack of them…He made His covenant, His promise, gave His Word…because of who He IS…because of what He IS…because of His purpose…because of His intention toward His people…toward the Jew…toward the Gentile…toward you…toward me.
He IS the impenetrable covering, the refuge, the shelter, the safe place, the armor, the protection for His people…He WAS, He IS, He WILL BE…He IS I AM.
The Quest for Peace
I have visited with many of the friends from our church who have returned from their pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Each one of them has verbalized that they experienced an inexplicable sense of calm, safety, and peace as they walked in the footsteps of Yeshua Christ…And I know that their Peace comes from HIS IRON DOME…
As we continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, may we pray with a revelation, and an understanding that God will care for His people…each and every one of us. May we pray that the people of Israel will recognize that their eternal security and their eternal peace are not found in the man-made technology of the Iron Dome, as thankful as we are for the physical protection for the tiny country. But as the enemies and the rockets rage…I pray that every person will find the Peace which passes all understanding through the life and the relationship with Yeshua Christ…the true Peace-Giver.
I pray that each one of us will be diligent and will be tenacious as we seek relationship with the One True God, through the blood of our Jesus…that we would exercise the Iron Discipline to pursue every part of life with Christ…
And, we pray for Shalom-Peace for our brothers and sisters in Israel and all others in the Middle East…that they would come to recognize the Living Messiah…and that they would invite Him into their hearts as their Redeemer, as their Counselor, as their Bread of Life, as their Rabboni, as their Lion of Judah, as their Savior, as their Son of David, as their Good Shepherd, as their Alpha and Omega…Adonay, their Master…And we pray for their safety…we thank God for the Iron Dome in their country…and we thank Him for HIS IRON DOME, the ultimate and eternal place of security and peace…We pray for the PEACE of Jerusalem.
“He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20
Abundant Peace and Joy,
