SHAR SHALOM: prince of peace
“He Himself is our peace.”
Ephesians 2:14
The meaning of His name:
I just got one of those missives that made my blood boil. You know the kind… all couched in sweet sounding spiritual platitudes with an underlying ugliness meant to hurt deep.
Ugh!
The more I read the madder I got. I wanted to rave, to bite back, to form a sarcastic reply and disseminate the paragraphs of sugar coated half-truths. And I wanted to show the message around to others who’d agree with me and do a little ranting of their own.
But as I got up to make myself some breakfast, I passed a pile of writing I’d intended to do. A stack of reference books about the Names of God, a book about Shalom and its biblical roots, a couple of Bibles ready to open and dig deep.
Gulp. In this frame of mind I could hardly be expected to write niceties. I was way to mad for that. Indignant, righteous anger.
Or maybe just mad.
After filling my empty belly with oatmeal I decided I’d better fill my angry soul with something better than the sour grapes I’d swallowed whole.
And that’s when I discovered the beauty of this name- Sar Shalom. Prince of Peace.
You see, I thought this title to be a sort of grand name all lit up in lights on a marquee. For some strange reason no one seems to be able to trace, it’s a name we take out and shine all up at Christmastime. We like this name. We like the royal loveliness of the way it sounds as we sing it.
But do we really grasp what it means when we wake up to find a nasty note in our mailbox?
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. It is a word dripping with meaning. While most of us interpret peace as the absence of conflict, this word encompasses much, much more. It conveys a sense of tranquility and wholeness and completion. Shalom includes such benefits as health, satisfaction, success, safety, and prosperity.
It is everything we want in life, and everything we want for those we love.
But don’t forget the prince part. That’s important. A prince in ancient days was not merely a handsome figurehead waiting for his chance to snatch the throne. A prince was a man of power, a man with authority over his subjects.
A man to be feared and obeyed.
Uh oh, all those mean replies I’d been making up in my head were suddenly starting to look a little petty… and maybe a whole lot wrong.
Prince of peace.
I think this prince had a few things to say about not-so-nice messages and how He wants me to deal with them. Things like…
God blesses those who work for peace, and they will be called the children of God. (Mt 5:9)
God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too. (Mt 5:11,12)
Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and He will bless you for it! (I Peter 3:9)
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! This Prince of Peace talked about working hard at peace (I Peter 3:11), about doing good to those who are downright nasty (Mt 5:47). When people spit in His face and made fun of Him, He chose to stay silent and pray for them (Mt 26:63). Then He let Himself be led to the Cross and nailed there— just so He could offer His enemies that irrevocable peace they so desperately needed.
Will I ever learn?
My heart response this morning showed me some real blackness still buried down deep. I was so ready to bury someone in sludge who’d slung a little mud my way. So quick to bite back. So slow to follow in the footsteps of the One I call my King… the Prince of Peace.
I’m all confessed now… and repentant… and ready to do what He says… so that I can have what He offers… and relish the peace in His wake.
And I’ve told you all this so that you and I can do this together, this living in the kingdom of the Prince of Peace. So that you know that I struggle because I know that you struggle too. This is no easy task. It requires a daily determination to die to all my own ugliness and to follow hard after the One who knows the way.
Are you with me?
From my heart,
Diane Comer
For more on Jesus’ response when being mistreated, read I Peter 2 and 3… and John 18-19:30. And for more on peace, read Philippians 4:6-9 and John 14:27
Indeed, we are with you! I am so glad you are willing to be real with us Diane. Its Comforting to know we all have days where we have to almost plead with the spirit to take over in our hearts so we don’t do something we will regret
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Oh the joyful workings of God from our hearts to His. In a very strange way our posts today parallel each other. God is working, this I know to be true. Blessings to you, You are one amazing writer of your heart.
I’m with you! This verse stood out to me this morning, before I read your blog. “God blesses those who work for peace, and they will be called the children of God.” (Mt 5:9)
Those words “work for peace” really hit me. I tend to make peace by ignoring conflict or just letting people think I agree with them. Then I secretly dwell on it and get angry by myself. I realize that this doesn’t convey tranquility, wholeness, and completion. That’s not peace that I’m making at all! Just more trouble for later. What I need to do is forgive them and pay them back with blessings. Thanks Diane!
Laura
Laura, You have hit the truth right on the nose! Strange as it may sound, peace is sometimes (maybe always) hard, grueling work. Forgiveness over and over again for things big and even for petty things like not-so-nice letters. But the peace that comes from the Prince is so worth the effort and the determination to grab it and hold on tight. God bless, Diane
Thanks Diane,
Just what I needed today.
Vickie
So needed this thank you for sharing!
Thanks Diane,
You words are so heartfelt and help me at the exact moment I need them. Got a nasty facebook before I read your words and felt pretty good about blocking that person. although now I will work on blessing those who curse me and know that I am not alone in my struggles.
Caroline
And we’re not alone, Caroline… together we choose to go against everything our flesh cries out for, to deny our SELVES and follow the path of the Prince of Peace. Somehow just knowing there are others choosing the same way is incredibly encouraging, isn’t it? God bless, Diane
it’s so funny how I have just naturally begun to look at your blog specifically when I am grumpy or wounded or in a funk or out of ideas.. cuz everytime I am spoken to so gently but firmly by the Holy Spirit. How awesome is that?? Bleh, today, just now I got that sinking uh-oh convicted feeling reading this one. sitting hear all indignant about some hurtful things that were said to me. Feeling all justified. Then I looked up the scriptures you shared and…I am wrong. Thank you once again for leading me so gently and and lovingly w/ your blog. Sometimes I see you over there from my seat in church and I just want to run up and squeeze you in gratefulness.
Love you Diane.
~Chanda