Perfect Peace

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Scripture: Isaiah 26:3-4 (ESV)

                        You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

            4           Trust in the Lord forever,

for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

 

Devotion:

           

            All of us desire to live in peace. We want peace with our friends, even with our enemies. We desire peace with God. And more broadly we wish for peace among the nations. In the scripture for today we hear Isaiah telling the nation Israel that they can indeed have a perfect peace. The Hebrew word for peace here is shalom. Isaiah is speaking on the Lord’s behalf when he tells them that the way to perfect peace is within their grasp. They only need to keep their minds focused on God.

            That is the trick though, isn’t it? How do we keep our minds stayed on God? These days God has so much competition for our attention. We can be distracted by so many different things. We have our electronic toys, a computer that fits in our pockets, Netflix and other services that serve up entertainment on demand. What chance does God have among so many shiny things that would divert our attention elsewhere?

            The apostle Paul writes to the church at Philippi the following: “6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 ESV) Apparently the first century Christians struggled with keeping their minds stayed on God just as we do. Their objects of distraction were obviously different from ours, but a distraction is a distraction whether it is the latest electronic gadget or simply getting ones daily needs met.

            Here Paul speaks of this same peace that Isaiah was writing about. As Christians we are to be in contact with God through our prayer lives. The hope is that as we depend increasingly on our savior we will grow in the peace of God. Perfect peace and the peace that passes all human understanding are clearly available to us. All we have to do is keep our minds free from distractions and anxieties. Easier said than done no doubt, but we can ask God to help us in this endeavor as we know it is His will for us to be at peace with God and with man.

            Imagine if you will a world witnessing the church at peace with herself and with her God. What a wonderful witness that would be. Unfortunately, when the world sees the church today it sees that we are neither at peace among ourselves nor with the world. But things are not as bad as some make it out to be. There are places and times when the church really is a good witness but we as Christians do not often talk about our successes. Perhaps we think we are being humble by not discussing the good that Christ does through us. Do we sometimes fall short of our own standards? Of course, we do we must repent and confess those instances to God and to the world and move on. However, when with God’s help we succeed we give thanks to God and let the world know what God has accomplished through us. Pray that it might be so. Amen.

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