"Perfect Peace"

Isaiah 26:3-4- "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because He trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH the Lord is everlasting strength."

In a time when it seems there are so many problems in the world it is comforting to realize that we have the promise of "perfect peace," from the Lord. God promises this peace to those whose mind is "stayed" on Him. The Hebrew word translated "stayed" is used here to refer to trusting in God (the word literally means "to lean on"). In verse four we are told to trust in the Lord forever because of His everlasting strength. There will be challenges in our lives, but in the midst of these storms we can have perfect peace because God is all powerful.

John 16:33- "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Jesus was about to be crucified, and He took some time to prepare His disciples for what was about to take place. They- and many other Jews- were expecting Jesus to drive out the Romans and rule as the King of a literal kingdom. While Jesus will rule here on earth when He returns, that was not to take place then. He first had to die for the sins of the world and be raised from the dead. Jesus prepared the twelve apostles for those events by speaking words to bring peace to them! Sometimes things don't turn out the way we expect, and in those times we need God's peace. There is one statement in the Bible that I believe God can (and will) use to bring us peace in those times. That verse is Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." When things don't work out the way we expect we can find peace by remembering that God promises to make all things work together for the good those who love Him. When we remember this and trust God we will find "perfect peace." Jesus said that we can "be of good cheer" (rejoice, be happy) in trials because He has overcome the world. Jesus' victory is our victory. In 1John 5:4-5 we read: "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" In challenging times remember that Jesus has overcome the world and every born again believer has overcome through Him. Romans 8:37 says, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." In the midst of trials ("in all these things") we are overcomers already. Christians are not working FOR victory, but we are working FROM victory. When we are faced with a challenge it is one that we have already overcome through Jesus' death on the cross. To experience victory we first must believe that we have already overcome through Jesus Christ.

In Acts 27 we read of the apostle Paul as a prisoner on a ship on his way to Rome. A storm arose and soon it grew so powerful that everyone on the ship lost all hope of survival. One day, in the midst of that hopeless situation Paul said, "And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, 'Do not be afraid Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' Therefore take heart men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me." (Acts 27:22-25) In the midst of hopelessness and in the midst of a life threatening storm Paul heard from God and found the courage to look past the storm and say with faith: "I believe God that it will be just as it was told me." Whatever your storm may be, you can look past the clouds, fix your eyes on Jesus who has overcome and promised you victory and you will find perfect peace.