Perfect Peace

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬).

When I get home from work I frequently spend time talking with my wife about our day. It is not uncommon for her to mention some news event, and nine times out of ten I have no idea what she’s talking about. She and my daughter tease me for not keeping up with the news and current events. It’s not that I don’t care about what’s happening in the world or my community; it’s just that I prefer to live life unencumbered by things that are beyond my control. I figure that if something important happens I will hear about it one way or another.

In this age of instant information it’s so easy to be distracted by events that take place on the far side of this great sphere. We are inundated with stories of tragedy, war, death and disease. Once in a while we hear of something good someone has done for another, but the news is largely bad news. I cannot allow myself to focus my energy and attention on things that have zero impact on who I am in Christ or those things to which God has called me.

Isaiah 26:3 is one of my life verses. I need that constant reminder to keep my mind focused on God because I long for that perfect peace. I don’t need the confusion and anxiety that comes neatly packaged on the TV screen, radio, and Internet, not to mention the drama that occurs all around me on a regular basis. I need the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭ESV‬‬) guarding my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. And the world needs that kind of peace too!

The world is caught up in the current events, burdened by the psychological weight they carry. The abundance of therapists helps make my point. How are we as Christians supposed to win the world for Christ when we are just as anxious as they are? When they look at us they should see the calm in the midst of the storm. They should see a “house built on a rock” (Luke 6:48). The more we resemble the world, the more the world descends into darkness.

Instead, we need to be about the business of building our relationship with God. We need to do everything in our power to ensure that we keep Him as our focus so that we might have perfect peace and shine the light of that peace on a world that so desperately needs it.