Saturday, March 9, 2013

Shalom – The Guardian Sentinel


Part I

This past weekend there were several prayer requests for peace.  This got me thinking about the true peace of God and what it is and how we actually experience it.  This led me to Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, Philippians chapter four.  Paul starts out commanding the Body to stand firm, to persevere, to be consistent in the Lord.  Then he proceeds to instruct us as to how to do that very thing.  In verse six through nine he gives the famous verses, which contain four more commands:
“6 Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving; let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable-if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise – dwell on these things. 9 Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Don’t, Do, Dwell, and Do

Don’t Worry

The word for worry in the original language has the idea of an extreme uneasiness of mind or a state of depressing fear about some possibility.  It comes from a Greek word that literally means to distract, to divide, or to draw in different directions.  That is exactly what worry does to our joy.  It disturbs it, rips it apart, and then scatters it in every direction.  Even the word “worry” in English comes from an old German word, which means to strangle or to choke.  Webster defines worry as “to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat”, and “to afflict with mental distress or agitation”.  See why Paul uses such a commanding tone when he tells us not to worry?  Our natural tendency is to be harassed, afflicted, and distressed about circumstances and situations that tend to strangle and choke our joy by tearing at the very jugular of our lives and ripping us apart.  This affects our entire person; our minds, our emotions, and our wills – and once it has viciously shredded and mauled it turns to our bodies and our outward, physical responds to our inner, spiritual.  At times we can get very creative in our worrying.  Think of all the things we worry about: finances, family, work, school, others, etc.  But most of the time the worrying has to do with self inflicted burdens about some future possibility that, for the most part, we have no control over in the first place!  That health issue you can’t control, that spouse who just won’t do what they suppose to do.  That bank account, that family member that just doesn’t get it, how you are viewed, how others respond to you, the list goes on and on.

Do Invite God Into Your World

Then comes one of my favorite Pauline words – “but.”  Paul is quick to give the antidote to this vicious, thieving beast that would mangle your joy – “prayer and petition with thanksgiving.”  Paul says that in the midst of your distress; when worry lifts its hideous hands to clutch your throat, set your focus on God.  There are two words here: prayer and petition (supplication).  Prayer deals with the general discussions to God filled with adoration, devotion, and worship.  The first action to take is to get alone with God and let Him know how much you adore Him, focusing on who He is (His attributes that we have been talking about recently).  Worship Him for who He is, All-mighty, All-powerful, All-seeing, love, good, merciful, etc.  Not only does this please God, it also puts us in the right frame of mind, reminding ourselves that we serve The One and Only God, with Whom NOTHING is impossible.  Then Paul uses the word petition (supplication), which moves from a more general prayer to very specific requests.  The word used means to want or to beg and has a connotation of a sense of urgency.  After worshiping God the scriptures say move directly into strong, non-stop, never ending, relentless pleadings – and this ends ONLY when the evil is averted or the good is conveyed.  Paul commands us to bring these requests to God with a continual, habitual practice of doing so – while ensuring that the adoration, worship, and relentless pleadings are all wrapped up in thankfulness.  Thankfulness for who He is, for what He has done in the past, for what He is about to do now, and for what He will do in the future.

If we follow these directions of (1) not worrying, (2) offering adoration and worship, (3) relentlessly pleading for our requests, and (4) exhibiting thankfulness – then the PEACE of God will guard you.  I don’t know how many of you saw the movie “Thor,” but if you did, remember the character Heimdall.  Heimdall (played by some B-listed actor, I think his name is Idris Aba-ca-dabra, or something like that, lol) stands on the rainbow bridge Bifrost to watch for any attacks to the great city of Asgard, defending the city's gates from any intruders.  Heimdall stands at 7 foot 2 inches and weighs 575 lbs.  His powers include:
  • Superhuman Strength
  • Superhuman Speed
  • Superhuman Stamina
  • Superhumanly Dense Tissue
  • Superhuman Durability
  • Superhuman Agility
  • Superhuman Reflexes
  • Extended Longevity
  • Regenerative Healing Factor
  • Superhumanly Acute Senses
  • Avatar Projection


Heimdall was one of the gods of Asgard; could lift over 50 tons; and wielded the Hofund: an uru sword enchanted by Odin into which he can command cosmic forces and wield blue flames from countless cosmic stars.  He also carried the Gjallerhorn, used to signal when he sees any impending attacks on Asgard.  He won the job as guardian of Asgard by seeing one day a pending attack on the city, from enemies who were still 8 days away.  He was known as the all-seeing, all-hearing guardian sentinel of Asgard.



I went through that long, pseudo-semi-nerdism all because of the word Paul uses in this passage – phroureo.  It means to be a watcher in advance, to mount guard as a sentinel.  The saints in Philippi were familiar with this word, for it referenced a Roman soldier with his weapon out preventing a hostile invasion or keeping the inhabitants of a besieged city from escaping. If we follow the instructions from the Scripture we will receive a guardian sentinel, infinitely more powerful than Heimall, to secure, guard, and protect our hearts and our minds from ominous anxiety and looming worry.  And this sentinel is The Peace of God.

The original word for peace (eirene) is where we get our word “serene” and “serenity” from.  It is derived from a word meaning to join, bind, or joining together what was broken or divided.  When things are broken and/or divided, there is lack of harmony, security, and comfort.  But when they are joined together there are both.  Peace is inner rest and well being.  It is clear and free of storms or objectionable change, stressing an unclouded and superior calmness.  This will be your sentinel guardian to guard your heart and mind – the real, inner you.  And since it is from God it is an eternal peace, an infinite peace, an everlasting peace, an all-powerful peace, a holy peace, and a supernatural peace, surpassing all comprehension – a “blow your mind” peace!

Isaiah 26:3 says,
“You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace [Hebrew: Shalom], for it is trusting in you.”
Eirene (peace) is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Shalom.  Worry and anxiety attempt to divide us while choking the joy right out of our lives.  But the Scriptures dictates that if we don’t give in to worry, by offering prayers of worship and intense specific requests to God, with thanksgiving, He will give the Shalom of God to protect our hearts and minds and be our valiant and vigilant sentinel guardian.  So I commend you to take heed to the Word of the Lord today and not allow worry and anxiety to consume you.  It has no place in the Body of Christ for the Creator of the Universe has given us His peace.  And through the peace of The All Mighty God we can actively live in a tranquil state of clam assuredness, knowing that we are guarded, protected, and secured.

Part II – Shalom the Guardian Sentinel (Dwell and Do)

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