“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.” Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV

What is perfect peace? And how do we keep our minds steadfast?

Is peace the absence of strife and trouble? The absence of war? What kind of peace does Isaiah mean? When this was written, the people of Judah were in turmoil. An article I read from Bible.org said “In view of the fast-changing international scene, the people of Israel would be concerned about their lot in life—what would become of the promises of God?” If that isn’t applicable to what is going on in our world today, then I don’t know what is.

Because of this crazy Covid-19 virus, there is a lot of unrest and uncertainty in our country and the world. And there seems to be a lot of opinions and worry going on right now as we navigate the re-opening of our country. We all react to crises in different ways. I like to watch the news because I have FOMO (fear of missing out) and don’t want to miss any updates, and I like to be in the know. But for some people, watching or reading the news, and or excess viewing of social media breeds unnecessary fear and worry. If I let myself get too caught up in all the news, I can start to feel anxious and lose focus, too.

Some questions we must all ask ourselves if we claim to be Christ followers is who or what am I trusting in? And then Who is my source of peace? Am I trusting in my government to solve this crisis? God has allowed governing authorities to be in place to provide order and prevent chaos, and to make decisions for the people who elected them. We should pray for their wisdom to do so, but are they our source of peace? Am I trusting in my local grocery store to provide the items I need for daily sustenance? Do I worry I won’t have the things I need? (like toilet paper?!?) Seriously…

God’s Word is full of promises of peace and comfort, and it is here that we must go first and foremost to find our peace in the midst of uncertainty. If you have lived on this earth for any period of time, you know life is uncertain. Psalm 112:7 “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” We know bad news is part of life, but how we respond to it is what sets us apart as God’s people and reflects His Good News to the world around us. My pastor says all the time that we live on “planet death” and that in and of itself is a reminder that because sin entered our world, we, as humans who live on this earth, will suffer the consequences of the sinful nature of the world. There is no escaping it. We will have trouble and some of that trouble is short-term, and we recover from it, and some of it is life altering, and without the hope of Jesus, we can’t overcome or recover from it. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “in this world you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world.” A thought I read recently on this verse is that the tension between experiencing the trouble and taking heart is where most people get lost.

Jesus doesn’t promise that His followers won’t experience trouble or that they will always be rescued and everything will work out ok. Only in eternity will there be any true “happily ever after” for those of us who know Jesus. We will then be in the presence of our God and Savior forever, but today, on the earth, there is trouble that we may not recover from on this side of heaven. But we can have peace and trust in the LORD, and take heart in HIM, and this is found only by knowing God and trusting His heart and goodness. In John 14:27, Jesus told his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Jesus promised His peace to us. He said he was leaving it for us—and giving us HIS peace. It’s not a worldly peace that we get from manmade means. Our government, nor any person or institution in the world can provide this for us; our jobs or bank accounts can’t provide it; and for sure the News can’t provide it. In fact, they are pretty good at taking our peace away if we forget where true peace comes from. The peace that Jesus offers is a supernatural peace that comes from our relationship with Him and from His Spirit living in us. It is practically realized when we make the choice to spend time with Him, reading the promises from scripture and spending time in prayer. Listening to worship music can help bring an atmosphere of peace to our hearts and homes.

Some other ideas to promote peace are listening to some great podcasts, joining with our church families online and staying connected to friends and family through creative measures like social media platforms and video calls, etc. Go to God and tell Him your fears & uncertainty. Lay them before Him. Ask Him to quiet your heart and show you promises in His Word you can claim and rely on. Get in the Word—search out the scriptures and dwell on the Truth and goodness of God and His provisions. And there you will find the strength to be keep your mind steadfast on Him, and the peace Jesus promised will follow.