Peace? Is there such a thing? This anxious generation seems bent on proving its implausibility?
Did you know…85% of Americans live under constant stress and don’t even know it?
But, wait a minute! God promised the prospect of Perfect Peace. So, it must be achievable. Right?
Stay with me!
Imagine you suddenly feel fatigue. Then, your appetite vanishes. Then, nothing you try to eat stays down. Your thoughts race as you consider the possibilities. “Is it my blood pressure? My heart? Maybe the “c” word? WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?”
After weeks of warning signs and a plethora of scans, you brace yourself for the diagnosis. “How sick am I? How long do I have?” (Worry exacerbates every symptom, doesn’t it? Now you really can’t eat or find the energy to stay on your feet!)
Finally, the doctor says…“You just need iron in your diet. There’s absolutely nothing to fret about here!”
The expert’s assurance overwhelms you with peace. Immediately, the crushing worry evaporates!
Friend, GOD IS THE EXPERT OF ALL EXPERTS! When we bring Him our concerns, He reminds us, “I’ve got you! I’ve got this! You can ALWAYS count on Me! I will NEVER fail you!”
When we hear Him speak, the anxiety falls right off us…but oftentimes, we can’t hear Him! (Wait! What?) We don’t discern the assurance of the Peace Speaker because our raging, reckless imagination deafens us to His voice.
God promises, “I will keep you in PERFECT Peace as your mind is stayed on Me!” (Isaiah 26:3)
Not just peace…PERFECT PEACE! Essentially, this means “peace that’s greater than our mind can grasp!”
Get this. This kind of “shalom” (peace) does not simply mean “rest for my mind.” It means “healing, safety, security, certainty and wholeness.” It “makes things as they should be” and “straightens what is bent” in my thoughts.
God guards our Perfect Peace as our “mind” remains on Him – in other words, as our imaginations gravitate TOWARD Him, never AWAY from Him!
What happens when job loss rumors circulate at our company? We envision OUR job loss, too. Before long, we’re picturing foreclosure and financial upheaval before anything even happens! (You know it’s true!)
But, when we keep our minds fixed on what God says, His imaginations become ours. In other words, we realize God, not the job, is our Source. Whether we remain at this job or He leads us elsewhere, HE is our Provider and we can trust Him with every step!
Listen friend, our TRUST in God welds HIS thoughts to our thoughts. When we truly believe God is good and seeks our good, that trust becomes like a hot glue that welds two pipes (or minds) together. These two pieces begin to intermingle in such a way that this area becomes the strongest portion of the pipe!
Whoa! Are you getting this? God’s thoughts and my thoughts melt together in such a way that His beliefs become my own! No matter what comes at me, I KNOW God is superior to any and every situation I face. He holds the solution to EVERY problem. There’s NOTHING greater than Him, ABSOLUTELY nothing and He’s on my side because I’m on His!
So, maybe we’ve been going about this all wrong. We’ve been waiting on God to do something. Yet, in this moment, He waits for US to feed our thoughts with His perspective on every matter.
As my husband says, “I am not afraid until God is afraid, and God is NOT afraid!”
Let our Good Father weld our mind to His! From that posture, we can walk through fire and flood with fullest assurance that HE is leading us well. We will ALWAYS come out the other side of EVERY situation better than before, because He’s good for it! Now THAT is Perfect Peace!
For comments or prayer, please contact Dr. Lanier at HopeCommunityChurch.tv.
