Parashat Emor 2022

Lev 21:1-24:23, 1 Pet 2:4-10 Speaking God's Peace in Uncertain Times

There is something very powerful about God's peace. It is a peace that settles, fulfills, and comforts. It is the security that God is with you and everything is going to be alright. In Parashat Emor, the Brit Chadeshah portion (1 Perter 2:10) states, " Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." The truth is that God found us. He called us first so that we could call on him and when he came into the landscape of our lives, he brought his presence and his boundless mercy. Being the people of God and obtaining his mercy marks our lives with a supernatural peace that the world cannot explain because it is dependent on God rather than circumstances.

It is not coincidental that there is a link between the meanings of peace (shalom) and salvation (Rom 10:15, Lk 1:79). When God speaks his peace over us, it affects more than just one place in our lives. There is a peace that dwells over our homes (Matt 10:13). There is another that calms the storms of life, physically and spiritually (Mark 4:39). There is yet another that is linked to our healing (Mark 5:34) and another that applies to our comfort and security (Jn 14:27). When God puts his peace on us, we have a sense of wholeness (Ps 29:11). We may not know how our future may work out, but we do know that God is directing it. If the good happens, God is there. If the bad happens, God is still there and we know that he is ultimately in control.

Peace is a powerful thing. In the prayers of God's people, tidings of God's peace (Is 52:67) can turn a life around. When was the last time you spoke peace (shalom) over your life or the life of another? Jesus speaking of peace in Mark 4:39 was not just to calm the weather, it was also to command the spirits that were causing the attack to be still. "Peace" is a proclamation that not only stills the emotions but also stills the enemy's oppression and makes a space for God to intervene.

Try speaking the peace of God over your situation or over another. It is spiritual warfare, it is healing, it is deliverance, and it is security/assurance. You don't have to be perfect to speak it, just compassionate and merciful. You don't have to be a spiritual giant, Yeshua does the work. Just speak it and allow the peace of God to invade someone's trial or traumatic situation.

Rav Calev Lehrer Apostolic Messianic International-Gulf Coast Parlor, Rumble, Locals, Facebook