Obtaining Peace: Trust Him

 

Peace 8

 

          If you are looking for peace you came to the right place. No, I do not mean my blog. I mean the Word of God. It gives us numerous ways or means or avenues to obtain peace. Two weeks ago, we saw that we can obtain peace by asking God for it. Last week, we found that we can obtain peace by knowing Him. Today, we will see that we can find peace by trusting Him. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee (Isaiah 26.3).

          Peace is a precious commodity. It keeps our hearts and souls unruffled during times of uncertainty, confusion, doubt, struggle, and conflict. Peace does not change the external circumstances that swirl around us but it does change how we view those circumstances. When peace rules in our heart our perspective on the events of the day and of our lives is calm even when these events are not calm.

In Mark 4 we find one of the stories that combines faith and peace. Jesus, weary from His work, falls asleep in a ship on the Sea of Galilee. Storms rise quickly on that shallow sea as cold air flows down suddenly across its surface from the mountains along the northern edge. Such a storm arose that mightily disturbed the Apostles but disturbed Jesus not at all. In frantic desperation, they finally wake Him up, shouting at Him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? His answer is classic. Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? This kind of peace is a byproduct of faith. Peace is not achieved by pursuing peace; it is attained by trusting in our Heavenly Father. This is precisely what Isaiah is saying as well. Let me give you a brief explanation of the context, followed by two thoughts of application.

          When Isaiah 26 opens the prophet is referencing a future deliverance from Babylon. He has just been discussing this in the previous chapter, Isaiah 25. In that day [of deliverance from Babylon] shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks (Isaiah 26.1). Centuries later, both Jeremiah and Zechariah would point to Isaiah’s prophecy here in reference to Babylon.

          Open ye the gates [the gates of Jerusalem, opened up now for the people of the city to return after their deliverance from Babylon by Jehovah] That the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength: For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; The lofty city, he layeth low; [Babylon] even to the ground; He bringeth it even to the dust (Isaiah 26.2-5).

          I see here two works – our work and His work. What is our work? To rest our mind on Him, whose mind is stayed on thee, stayed here meaning lean, rest, or support. When a weary Moses could no longer hold the rod of God aloft in His hands God’s people began to lose the battle. Tragedy would have resulted had not Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun (Exodus 17.12). Moses was supported by and rested on Aaron and Hur.

Implicit in the idea of the word stayed is dependence upon something or someone else. As I write this on Sunday afternoon, I am sitting on a chair at my dining room table. My weight is comfortably settled in the chair. Solidly constructed from oak, Mandy and I purchased this table and chairs twenty years ago. I know by long experience I can depend on this chair. That is faith. Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee.    

          God is in the dependence business. He is constantly seeking to encourage and build our dependence upon Him. I began that process when I first depended upon Him for my salvation. Not coincidentally, I got my first dose of peace then. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5.1). Mary Magdalene is a precious example of this. Tormented by the townspeople, tormented by her conscience, she found her first peace when she found faith in and dependence on Christ. And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace (Luke 7.50).

          Since there is then this direct correlation between faith and peace the more I rest in Him the more peace I possess. Put another way round, show me a lack of peace in a heart and mind and I will show you a lack of faith somewhere.

          It is not my job to produce the peace in my heart. It is not even my job to pursue peace in my heart. It is my job to pursue dependence and faith. That is my work. As I lead my family, as I pursue my vocation, as I play, as I rest, in the grind of my day to day life I must keep my mind stayed on Him. In financial pressure, in relationship difficulty, in ill health, in seasons of distress and grief, in the trials of life I must keep my mind stayed on Him. That is my work.

          What is His work? Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace. As I write this, President Biden occupies the Oval Office. His work is the administration of the country. The Secret Service’s work is to keep the president safe. Keep means to watch or guard. I do not do the watching and guarding of my peace; He does. I do the staying of my mind on Him, depending on Him in faith. His work is to watch over me.

          There is great peace in knowing I am in His keeping. When my children were little, how precious it was to put them to bed. To dress them in their warm pajamas, snuggle them under the covers, play a silly game or two with them, sing them the family lullaby, pray with them, turn their music on, shut the light off, walk out of the room, and listen as their even breathing signaled how fast they fell asleep. Is that not the child’s prayer? “Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep.”

          A lamb needs to gain a pound a day the first hundred days of its life. The only way it can do that is if it has access to quiet/clear water, good pasturage, and extensive time to browse. Does the lamb protect itself? No, the shepherd does – and when the lamb is convinced it has nothing to fear from wolves, hawks, or even annoying pests it grows. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters (Psalm 23.1-2).

          I want to be that lamb. I want to grow. I want the peace that passeth all understanding to keep my heart and mind. But that peace is His work. I cannot chase that peace. What I can chase, what I can pursue, what I can work on is trusting God.

          How can you obtain peace? Stay your mind on Him, trust in Him, this is your work. He will deliver the peace.