“Jehovah Shalom: What This Means to Me” by Debbi Atwood Sexton
The eye of a hurricane is the most recognizable feature within this particular kind of storm. The storm rotates around the eye and it’s where the lowest surface pressures are found. There are light winds and clear skies, allowing the sun or stars to be visible. The eye is the calmest section of the hurricane and represents the center of the storm.
The storms of my life have, at times, been brutal. The most damaging storm, my own personal hurricane, happened last year when my youngest child, a daughter, died from cancer at the age of 32. The strong winds of anger and doubt still threaten to knock me down and the dark clouds of fear and heartache taunt me, hovering over my soul like a predator watching for prey.
Jehovah-Shalom, the God of peace, is the eye of my hurricane. He’s the one sure thing I can recognize in the storm. When the pressures of grief begin to build, I can find calm in His presence and promises and strength to move forward with purpose.
Often, I’ve sought comfort through food, mindless activities, work and even church attendance. There is no true, lasting peace when I wander away from God, the eye of my storm, where gentle breezes, clear skies and warm sunshine can be found. Jehovah-Shalom is the only source of peace that is beyond our understanding, a peace not based on feelings, but on the truth of God’s Word.
In some very dark hours of the history of Israel, God revealed Himself to Gideon as Jehovah-Shalom. Gideon was the first to call on the Lord by that name. When the angel appeared to him, he was crouching in a winepress. In these times, like Gideon, we are brought low by our desperate situation and we long for the peace of God.
Even though I have never lived in a war zone, I can relate to the stresses of fear and loss. It has pressed the very core of my being. Like Gideon, I will build an altar to the Lord. Like Gideon, I have discovered firsthand that He is Jehovah-Shalom…The Lord is Peace!
“There’s no space that His love can’t reach, there’s no place where we can’t find peace, there’s no end to amazing grace.
Take me in with your arms spread wide, take me in like an orphan child, never let go, never leave my side.
I am holding on to You, I am holding on to You. In the middle of the storm, I am holding on, I am.” – I Am, by David Crowder
*Originally posted on http://ramblingeveron.com/2016/06/08/jehovah-shalom-the-lord-is-my-peace/ on June 8th, 2016.
About the Author ~ Debbie Sexton
Hi, my name is Debbi Atwood Sexton. I have lived in Huntsville for over twenty years. I am a member of Rivertree Church where I teach an awesome group of fifth-graders in Sunday School and I teach music for the preschool at Willowbrook Baptist Church. I have a son and two daughters and eight adorable grandchildren who call me “Mimi”! I am married to Eric and we live in Gurley on a horse farm with 12 horses, three cats and two bunnies! I have had a growing relationship with Jesus for as many years as my friend and pastor, Ross Jaeger, has been on this earth! You’ll have to ask him his age to know how long I’ve been a Christ-Follower! I love to write and in Fall of 2013, my first children’s book was published. I also have a blog called From The Porch Swing at debbisexton.blogspot.com. I am a work in progress and the Lord has been faithful every step of the way! You can reach me at 256-655-3556 or debbisexton@gmail.com.
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