Connecting Stillness with Shalom

Since the Christmas season came to a close, I have been hearing consistently from the Lord that He wants me to be still and listen.  In talking with friends, I find that they are hearing the same message.  Yet simultaneously, I am seeing activity and purpose taking form in both my spirit and my life.  Accompanying these things has been the sweetest Shalom that I have felt in quite a while.  Does that seem contradictory?  A recurring message through which I have received confirmation is another "contradiction".  Resting in the Lord does not mean not moving forward.  Seriously.

The Hebrew word shalom is most commonly understood around the world to mean "peace." However, "peace" is only one small part of the meaning of shalom. "Shalom" is also used to both greet people and to bid them farewell; yet it means much more than "peace, hello or goodbye".  According to Strong's Concordance 7965 Shalom also means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. Shalom comes from the root verb shalom meaning to be complete, perfect and full. In modern Hebrew the obviously related word Shelem means to pay for, and Shulam means to be fully paid. Shalom is not the absence of war; rather it is a condition that is only obtained through the presence of the "Sar Shalom" the Prince of Peace, Yeshua HaMaschiach, Jesus the Messiah.

If I am listening to the Lord for His direction in my life, if I have truly surrendered my life to Him, if I am not living for me, but living for Him, then and only then can I function in true Shalom.  I have realized that I am guilty (as I imagine maybe a few of you are as well) of trying to manage my life so that it appears to fit within everything that I feel emotionally, understand intellectually and can handle physically.  The challenge is that frequently this juggling act does not invite Shalom into my life.  Instead it often hinders it.  I can reflect on so many times in my life, and I am not talking ancient history here, that I have not operated in the Shalom of the Lord, but on the periphery of that Shalom.  I can see it, I can sense it, but I am not immersed in it.

How do we stop "managing" our lives and begin living them in Shalom?  I promise you I don't have the answers but I might have a few suggestions that are beginning to impact me.  It has been frustrating for me to know the Word, know the heart of my Lord and still drift away instead of making a beeline to His center, His love and heart for me.  Far too often I let little things distract me and affect my attitude.  Sadly I am guilty of letting things exit out of my mouth (which is too often the gusher from the wellspring of my heart!) that do not edify God.  The last time I checked, criticism and complaining were not edifying.  I reflect now on those moments (which I cannot retrieve sadly) and am chagrined that I did not stop my lips from opening.   Did those words exhibit Shalom in my life?  Not a bit.  So step one: clean up my heart. Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. 

Step two:  Carefully choose how I am spending my time.  Proverbs 31:27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. Ecclesiastes 10:18 Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks.  Anyone who really knows me, knows that I stay busy.  However, that is not to what I am referring.  I am talking about the choices that I make in how I spend my time.  I have heard the Lord ask for more intimate time with me.  I would be really foolish to tell Him no.  I am guilty of letting time filling activities grow in my life, activities which do nothing to enhance my life for Him or with Him.  Please understand that I am not criticizing leisure time.  In fact Glen and I have made a commitment to each other to have a "date night" twice a month.   What I am talking about is the times that I have just sat at my computer and before I knew it, 20 minutes have passed by.  I want to become more deliberate in how I approach each day and the hours in the day.  

We are entering a period of 40 days of prayer and fasting.  This is a wonderful opportunity to begin to re-order my life.  Step three: make Him the priority in my daily life.  Proverbs 8:34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.  Am I waiting and watching for Him throughout each day?  Am I consumed with this lover God of mine who I know is consumed with love for me?  I know I can improve here.  It isn't that I don't think about Him each day, but I know I have fallen slack in making Him the prioritizing factor of my life.  

So returning to my title: what does stillness have to do with Shalom?  I believe, deeply believe, that if I begin to follow these three simple steps that I will be able to function - to live - in the completeness, the wholeness of the Shalom of my Lord.  This will require me to be still - not inactive - and reside totally in Him allowing Him access and full liberty to direct my life and more importantly to draw me near to Him as I draw Him to me.  I don't want 2011 or in fact the rest of my life to be like the past has been.  I am ready - no, I m hungry - for His changes to overwhelm.  I am ready, Lord!  I give you my life (again), holding nothing back!