Perfect Peace

It is another cloudless day in Ocean Grove today. The air is crisp and the leaves of the tulips and hyacinths are popping up above the soil. It won’t be long and they will be in full bloom. I was awakened this morning by the cooing of a pair of mourning doves. It was a reminder to me of those things which have been on my heart and in my mind. I had been waking with turmoil and turbulence in my mind and in my soul for days now, hesitant to even write on the subject the Holy Spirit has impressed upon me…which is perfect peace.

A verse from scripture just popped into my mind the other day. It was from the book of Isaiah, " Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee." I began to meditate on these words for the remainder of that day. The following day, when I was thinking of writing to a friend, I couldn't remember where to find it. I opened up my concordance and my eyes hit right on that particular verse. I opened my Bible and it opened right to that section of scripture. I looked down at the page and my eyes hit right on that very verse. I think it is for all of us……

"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." Isaiah 26:3-4

The Hebrew word here for "perfect peace" is shalom.  The word shalom has a deep, rich meaning. One of the things it means is “well being”. The word mind which is spoken of here is not the Hebrew word commonly used for mind, but means "creative imagination". The note in my Bible states...."he whose creative imagination, the seat of plans and ideas, is firmly founded on the eternal Lord, will enjoy shalom in all its implications."

He will keep us in that “perfect peace”, that “well being”, when our minds are fixed upon Him. We need to take our creative imagination and fix it on our Lord. In Ephesians it states that Christ Jesus is our peace, who has made us one with God through His shed blood on the cross. Before Jesus left this earth He spoke these words of comfort, which can give us strength in those times in which we are overwhelmed with care and anxiety:

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

He has promised us His peace! He told us that He was sending us a Helper, which is the Holy Spirit. Jesus indwells us by the Holy Spirit when we are born of Him. We can have hearts that are not troubled or afraid. Our lives are full of uncertainty, the world is full of uncertainty, but we have a certainty…Jesus Christ our Lord. We can trust Him, we can call upon Him, and we can rely upon Him and upon His promises.

“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.” John 16:33

The word for tribulation here is “thlipsis” in the Greek, which means pressure, oppression, stress, anguish, adversity, affliction, crushing, squashing, squeezing and distress. Does this sound like what anyone is experiencing right now? This encompasses everything that I’ve been experiencing in the past couple of weeks! We have good news! Jesus has overcome the world and in Him we can be overcomers! We can have His peace which passes understanding!

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:13

We are told in this portion of scripture what to do with our anxiety. Remember, Paul was in prison for his faith when he wrote this letter to the Philippians. He tells us not to be anxious for anything. This is a hard thing isn’t it? We are given an alternative to the anxiety, which is to bring it to our precious Lord through prayer and supplication. It doesn’t say just prayer alone, but with prayer and supplication. What exactly is the meaning of that? It is an unloading of our cares and anxieties in deep earnest and humble prayer. It is a giving over in prayer that which is weighing us down. We do it with an attitude of thanksgiving, thanking Him ahead of time for taking and carrying this burden for us. The end result is for the peace of God, which passes our understanding, to guard our hearts and minds from all of the cares and anxieties which befall us.

May you experience His peace this day through the Holy Spirit within! May He lift you up above your trials through His grace and His mercy! May He lighten your load as you put your trust and your hope in Him! Allow that peace to guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus!

May His perfect peace be with you all!!

Just a reminder to all my dear friends…

        Trust is the key…Jesus is the answer…Eternity the goal      (the slogan of Mrs. B)