One of the fascinating Scripture passages for me is when Jesus was with the disciples in the sea and there was a storm threatening to capsize their boat. We see in Mark 4:38-40 we see the disciples asking Jesus, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!” This is not a light question because several of these disciples were fishermen and well versed with the waters. This storm that scared them must have been a significant one.
How did Jesus sleep (comfortably with his head on a pillow) in the midst of such a storm? I wondered if this is what God desires for us to do through the storms of life. This life is full of storms, ups and downs at every turning. It is the nature of life. This means that the best we can do is to empower ourselves on what to do in every storm as and when it comes.
My go-to Scripture is in “You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character],
Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]. Isaiah 26:3 (AMP)
Perfect Peace
Is it possible to be in perfect and constant peace? Yes. From the Scripture above we see how to achieve this. Our minds have to be committed and focused on God. It means that we are careful to listen to what God is saying in those difficult situations and that we are obedient to His instructions.
The online dictionary defines peace as freedom from disturbance; tranquility or a state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended. However, the perfect peace we are talking about here is is more than just the absence of conflict or state of rest. It means completeness or wholeness, and it points to the presence of something else.
The word peace appears 237 times in the Old Testament with its first appearance in Genesis 15:15. The Hebrew word translated as peace is shalom (shaw-lome’), which means completeness, soundness, and welfare. It comes from the root word shalam (shaw-lame’) which means to make amends or to make whole or complete. Therefore, to have shalom means to be in a state of wholeness or completeness, without any deficiency or lack.
Without any deficiency or lack
How is it possible to be without deficiency or lack in such a world full of limitations, deficiencies and lack? By trusting and taking refuge in God with hope and confident expectation. What caught my attention in the Scripture line above is the phrase ‘confident expectation’. This means that your peace has nothing to do with the good or bad situation but on the expectation you have that God will settle things out.
This level of peace has everything to do with God and nothing to do with our situations and circumstances. It’s in knowing that God has full control and He has taken charge of our lives so we can relax and live.
Our only part is in remaining committed and focused in God and also in being keen to hear His instructions on what we should do in the storm.
Are you going through a storm today? Where’s your focus? This will determine whether you remain at peace or not. It’s easier said than done (even for me) but we have to keep trying…
Not by our strength but by the Spirit of God
But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (AMP)
It’s not possible for us to maintain this commitment and focus by ourselves – there are too many distractions to discourage us. This is why we need the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text in Galatians above says that peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. This simplifies things – we just need the presence of the Holy Spirit within us and we shall see the result (one of it being peace).
I invite you to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit now so you can experience this perfect peace! Here’s an article from Cross Walk to help you learn more about the Holy Spirit.
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