Psalm 85 is one of my favourite pieces of Scripture because I love the picture it paints of shalom – God’s Kingdom peace. The images of heaven meeting earth express the intimate relationship that God desires with people and convey His good purposes. People in good relationship with God, with others, and with creation, with everyone’s needs being met and love abundant – sounds like Paradise, doesn’t it. This is the place God is calling and leading us to, the place where His love, glory, presence and blessing is manifest and fully experienced. God is leading us to shalom. These images of restoration in Psalm 85 express how God’s Word transforms and renews – it changes everything! We give thanks to God for His shalom!

A Bible lecturer taught me that the whole Bible can be summed up like this – “God is restoring His Kingdom peace through Jesus by His Spirit with and for His people”. When Jesus came from heaven to earth, He embodied shalom, preached the nearness of God’s Kingdom, and promised entry into God’s Kingdom for all who put their trust in Him. And He gave His followers an amazing task – the task of proclaiming God’s Kingdom peace to all the nations so that they can also become followers of Jesus and share God’s shalom with others.

This is the vision we have as God’s Word is made available to communities. We long to see communities experience the transforming power of God, to feel His smile upon them, to be led by His Word into a place that more clearly reflects God’s glory and will for humanity. This is our prayer as people receive and read God’s Word – we pray that God’s Word will be used to impact hearts, change lives, bring hope and healing, share God’s desires, and witness the nearness of God’s Kingdom as His Kingdom peace is restored.

The imparting of shalom is the work of God’s Spirit through God’s Word and God’s children. Wherever shalom is spread, there is great cause for rejoicing. The word Alleluia is a Hebrew word which ‘Praise the Lord!’ We long to see people so transformed by God’s Word in their language that their lives become a song of praise to the Lord. The Lord is our strength and song! May His Kingdom come as His Word takes root in these communities, and may God grow these communities into a beautiful garden that reaches to the heavens and demonstrates shalom.