Discover His heart: He keeps our hearts in perfect peace when we trust Him
Like most everyone, I’ve passed through some difficult moments in my life. When I look back over those times, I see how rough and rocky they truly were, but in the midst of them, they didn’t seem so troublesome. There was an undergirding strength, a peace that I can’t explain, but I know it was from God. In our reading today, Isaiah prophesied about a peace that not only permeates all of heaven but also sustains us on our journey to heaven.
@ Isaiah 26
Amidst all the terrible judgments to come on the nations of the world, Isaiah threw in a little oasis from it all with his prophecy about heaven. When circumstances in life seem to be at their darkest, we have the hope of heaven and all that awaits us there. Right now we are on a pilgrimage to that Holy place where God’s presence and peace abide; and while we travel some rough roads at times, we are not alone on our journey – the Peace of Heaven is with us even now.
“But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them.” (7) Often in our walk with the Lord, we see where the Lord has gone ahead of us and smoothed out the path – the job is waiting for us, the house has sold and reports are good – and we praise Him for His goodness. These steps may not require as great a faith or trust in the Lord from us because we quickly see His handiwork and our hearts are at peace. However, sometimes we look at our path, and we certainly see steep and rough, a view that can rob us of our peace. It’s in these moments that we need to focus, not on the difficult path, but on the Lord.
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.” (3) Perfect peace in the Hebrew here means shalom, shalom or peace, peace. Peace on top of peace – oh, I want that! However, we’ll never experience this peace, peace as long as we think about how rough the road is. When we fix our thoughts on Him, the eternal Rock, we travel that rough road without realizing how rugged it really is and verse 7 becomes our reality by faith even in the midst of the struggle. It’s supernatural!
David expresses this supernatural walk this way, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” (Psalm 37:23) Paul encourages us in Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything…Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Peace, peace!
Moving Forward: Should I face some bumps in the road today, I’ve decided to keep my focus on the one who holds my hand and who provides supernatural peace. Peace, peace!
Tomorrow @ Matthew 11-13
Phyllis Benigas 