The NIV 365 Day Devotional

“Shalom”

17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
  and all her paths are peace.

Proverbs 3:17

Though “shalom” is often translated as “peace,” its meaning is much richer and fuller. It connotes soundness, completeness, or wholeness. In one’s personal life, it suggests well¬ being, safety, and contentment of spirit (cf. Ge 28:21, “safely”; Ge 37:14, “all is well with”; Ps 4:8).

For a nation, it suggests security and cessation of conflict (cf. Lev 26:6; Isa 32:17–18). Among companions, it suggests friendship and freedom from discord (cf. Ge 26:29,31; 1Sa 29:7).

Between human beings and God, therefore, it suggests a close and unhindered relationship (cf. Ps 29:11; 85:9–10; Isa 54:10). Indeed, it is only in relationship with the God of peace (Ro 15:33; 1Th 5:23), a relationship made possible through faith in Jesus Christ (Ro 5:1), that true shalom can be fully realized (cf. Isa 26:3; Eph 2:14–18).

Taken from the NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition.