Jehovah Shalom
The Lord is My Peace
The apostle Paul gives us a wonderful context for having peace.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but
in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things
are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The
things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:4-9
In this passage Paul gives us four points of instruction that deal directly with prayer and worship: Rejoice in the Lord, pray, give thanks,
and meditate. He goes on to say that if you do these things then you will position yourself to be surrounded by the peace of God.
The Old Testament defines the word peace as being a state of safety, health, prosperity, and favor. The New Testament defines it as being
whole, or complete, secure, and prosperous.
It is definitely the Lord's desire for you to live in peace. I find it interesting the Hebrew word for "hello" and "goodbye" is Shalom.
If you have ever attended a Catholic mass, you will never leave without the priest declaring "Peace be to You". The peace of God is a very
powerful state of being because it is literally bringing Heaven to earth.
Paul also said in Philippians 4 that the peace of God is something that goes beyond our understanding. It is just like God to take something
that goes against our logic and use if for good. Peace only comes from God. It does not come from the world. The world is full of hurt,
confusion, and uncertainty. Peace does not come from man because man is full of sin, doubt, and faithlessness. But when God brings His peace
it provides a protection from the things of the world and the things of man.
In the armor of God (Ephesians 6) peace is not worn over the heart nor over the head, but it is worn on the feet. That means that we have
to take the peace of God with us everywhere we go. It is only in the peace of God that we can stand against doubt, confusion, and anxiety.
Today, no matter what state you find yourself in walk in His peace, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts.(Colossians 3:15) Seek
His face in worship because it is in the countenance of God that we find perfect peace.
Used by churches all over the world to help teach worship, the Experiencing Worship study can help your worship team too.
Your team will learn why we worship and gain a better understanding of how to worship.
One user said..."Your 5 week study course has made a tremendous impact on my life in the study of worship... I would like to express my thanks for a well written study course that leads into a higher realm of praise and worship."
This is the debut album by EXW friend Paul Langford. Paul is a Chicago based singer, arranger, keyboardist, producer and conductor. Paul has a career that spans 14 years. Paul's work includes arranging for groups like GLAD, Voices of Liberty, VoiceTrek, The Chicago based "Caroling Party" and Day of Discovery Singers. His arranging has appeared on recordings side by side with greats like Gene Puerling and David Maddux, and he has sung with Don Shelton, Bonnie Herman and Bob Bowker, among others.