By: Steve Wilmot
People everywhere are in a desperate search for peace. Yet it’s so elusive. A quick Google search reveals that lots of people claim to have discovered the path to peace.
One website touted dietary and lifestyle changes as the path to peace. Another directed me to a website on Buddhism. Another on Islam. Yet another suggested I would find peace with healing touch or essential oils.
It’s as if peace is found by melding all religious and political philosophies into one magical potion. Apply the cream of the crop from all the feel-good philosophies and voile you’ve got lasting peace.
If only it were that easy. Actually, it is… if we look in the right place. But that’s our major problem with finding peace, isn’t it? Where to look?
We’ve tried wealth and the things it can buy. We’ve avoided discussion and confrontation, thinking peace is the absence of conflict. We’ve tried to align ourselves with powerful people who can protect us. We’ve looked to relationships with other people.
And every time, we strike out. Peace is nowhere to be found. At least, not lasting peace. Maybe a momentary peace while the relationship is going well, or when the bank account is abundant, or until the alcohol and drugs leave us with the same pain that drove us to them to dull it in the first place.
The prophet Jeremiah describes our search perfectly. “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6.14).
Take note of how the New Living Translation renders this verse. “They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace where there is no peace.”
Every proposed path to peace offers superficial treatment. Every path except one. That path is clearly delineated in Isaiah 26.3. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.”
The only path to peace is through a relationship with God. He is the only “you” that offers perfect peace. This relationship is an essential foundation, but it’s not enough by itself. If it were, every Christian would live in perfect peace. We don’t, do we?
Two more actions are required to experience perfect peace. The first is trust God. As we’ve already seen, people trust in all kinds of things, yet peace remains elusive. Isaiah declares lasting peace is only found by trusting God.
When you trust God, he takes care of those things that rob you of peace. You don’t have to worry about the what ifs of life. Present difficulties or future tragedies don’t concern you anymore because you know God has everything under control.
Trust is key, but Isaiah tells us to do another thing because our mind wanders so easily. One moment we’re trusting God no matter what is blowing up around us. The next we’re focused on the what ifs and fret about the worst that could happen. We flit from peace to fear and worry as quickly as a light switch darkens a well-lit room.
That’s why Isaiah adds a second action: fix your thoughts on God. Whenever fear or worry invade to steal our peace, we need to make a deliberate choice to set our thoughts on God.
Our thoughts don’t automatically default to God’s promises. We must pause in the middle of our panic to remember: What he’s promised, he’s always made happen. Times he’s been there for you before. Who God is for those who trust him.
Stories from the Bible and since of God’s mighty acts in situations where only a miracle would save the day — and God did one. Paul echoes Isaiah’s pathway to peace. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done” (Phil. 4.6).
Trust God – tell God what you need. In other words, turn your worries over to the only one you can trust completely.
Fix your thoughts on God – thank him for all he has done. In other words, remember.
When we do those two things, Paul, like Isaiah, assures us the result will be peace in our hearts. “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” (Philippians 4.7).
The first word in verse seven — “Then” — means only after you’ve trusted God and kept your thoughts on him. You can’t have peace without doing what comes before “then.”
No matter what you’re facing (or fear is coming), you can have peace or anxiety. It depends on what you choose to do.
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Steve Wilmot is a former Edgerton, Ohio area pastor who now seeks “to still bear fruit in old age” through writing. He is the author of seven books designed to assist believers to make steady progress on their spiritual journey.