Perfect Peace

What is Peace?

Peace defined is- freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions.  It is easy to be full of fear and not full of peace. 

Some say that peace is calm in the midst of the storm.  Some say that peace is the absence of a storm.  No matter how you look at peace, it is possible to have it no matter what, storm or no storm.

How To Have Perfect Peace

Isaiah 26:3-4 is one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible! It says- "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:"

When I was about 14 years old, my family claimed these two verses from Isaiah.  It was a life line through one of the most difficult times of our lives.  My dad was diagnosed with cancer.  The doctors said that he was not going to make it. I remember hearing this news and just being completely devastated.  It felt like we were being hit hard and there was no peace to be found.

Side Note: (I published a story about this when I was 18 years old- The book "Stories for a Teen's Heart" by Alice Gray, can be found on Amazon if you are interested in getting it.  It is full of stories from many teens and I know it would be an encouragement to anyone who reads it). 

But God... You see in His perfect love for us He gave us a promise that we could cling to in the worst of times.  We can have perfect peace by focusing on Christ.

Think about it, if God could come up with a plan to save us from our sins, a plan to keep us from spending an eternity in Hell, why wouldn't He have a plan to take care of us in the mean time?  Is anything bigger than Him?  Of course not!

We can have perfect peace by:

Focusing and Trusting:

1.) Focusing on Christ.  Focus= a center of activity, attraction, or attention; a point of concentration. If our mind is focused on Christ we will have peace.  Sounds so simple doesn't it?

One of my favorite songs by Casting Crowns is called "Just Be Held".  There's a line in the song that says, "if your eyes are on the storm you'll wonder if I love you still, but if your eyes are on the cross, you'll know I always have and I always will."  How true is that?  If I am focused on the storm, I can't see the Lord, I wonder if He has forgotten me, or if He even cares.  The Devil's lies begin to settle into my heart.  When I turn my focus to Christ, and what He accomplished on the cross and knowing that He is on the throne... wow, my thoughts have no room for the Devil's lies. It is not always easy to turn your focus, but it is necessary to have perfect peace.

2.) Trusting in Christ.  Trust= an assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone. The question is, do you trust Christ?  Do you truly trust Him?  When we trust Christ, we are saying that no matter what happens, we know the character of God and we know that He has always proven Himself.  We are His children, He has promised to take care of us, even if that looks different than what we may want or think.

Looking at what is going on in the world today, we can have complete trust and faith in God.  How do we focus on Him?  One way is memorizing and meditating on Scripture.  Like Isaiah 26:3-4 for example, write the verses down on a note card or add it to your screen on your phone.  Carry it with you throughout the day.  Highlight it in your Bible and leave it open where you'll see it often.

Listening to music that talks about the Lord and uplifts your spirit is good too.  When I hear songs about Christ, I am reminded of what He has done for me and it increases my faith.

Take a glance behind you

Look at your past and see how God has brought you through trials before.  When I look back to that time when we thought my Dad was going to die, I see how God worked a miracle.  He didn't die, in fact, God cured him.  Could we see that at the time? No! But, we did keep our focus on Christ and He brought us through one of the worst times of our family's lives.

God will bring us all through all of our hard times.  We don’t know how and we don’t know how long we will suffer. Nothing surprises God though.  You may wonder how you are going to get through a current hard time, maybe you have lost your job, you might be grieving the loss of a loved one, maybe a breakup, or divorce, maybe someone you love has been affected by these things?  No matter what the circumstance, I assure you God is on His throne and God will take care of you.

Keep your focus on Him and trust in Him.  God will never leave you or forsake you!