You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You.
Isaiah 26:3
I stood there, feet on a tiny, rigid mesh platform looking to the ground a hundred feet below. I should have been scared out of my mind, but I wasn’t. I felt at ease, and perhaps even a little exhilarated.
When I arrived at the “ropes” course earlier that morning, I put myself in the capable hands of the guides. Geared up with the appropriate attire and instructed on the basics, I stepped onto the first jumping off point and set out on adventure that would eventually land me high in the canopy with a grand view. Little by little, I gained confidence in the process, replacing uncertainty with peace.
I think the key to my peace rested greatly on my trust in the professionals and my equipment. But that didn’t come automatically. There was a testing process. Each time I hooked onto the cable and let myself glide through the air, it reinforced the words of the guide. Through the practice, I gained peace in my circumstances.
Peace with God doesn’t necessarily come automatic either. We are human after all. We have waged war with God over our choices. And even when things are seemingly peaceful between God and ourselves, the enemy sneaks up. He whispers in our ear how we could never measure up to God’s standard. We listen to his lies and see trouble where there was none.
The truth:
When we surrendered our lives over to Jesus, we were automatically at peace with God.
The problem:
We don’t always trust that knowledge because we have been at war for so long.
We continue to battle with Him out of habit. We don’t believe things will work the way He says they will. We doubt. We refuse. We flounder. But over time, the proof of His word shows itself in our lives, and our faith increases along with our peace.
So, begin here. Keep your mind dependent on what God has to say about you.
“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1 HCSB
You have been declared righteous by your faith. You are now at peace with God. Period. Not just on your good days, but every day.
This brings me back to my illustration. When it came to the gear, the instructor was the one who put it on me. She buckled it in place and made it secure. I had nothing to do with it. This is sort of like when God justifies you. It’s Him Who clothes us in righteousness, not ourselves.
Then, once on the course it was important to follow the directions my instructor gave. It would make all the difference in the outcome of the journey along the ropes. This is really a great picture of what comes next after you have agreed to follow Jesus. Each step of the way, God has provided practical instructions for life in His words found in the Bible. Putting them to practice will start to rewire that brain that wants to fight with God, allowing a peaceful unity with Him, instead.
But before you freak out and think you don’t trust enough to hook yourself to God and jump off the platform into the unknown, remember that right with you will be the Instructor, the Holy Spirit. It is His job to remind you of the right way to live and warns you of danger. Once I was fully clothed in the appropriate gear and given very basic information on the ways of the ropes, the instructor went before me, encouraging me as I followed her example. Each time I chose to follow, I found myself higher and higher in the canopy with more faith in the process and at peace in my spirit.
Isn’t that the desired place? More faith and at peace? I believe God wants it that way. That peace—εἰρήνη eirḗnē in the Greek— He provides for us is tranquility, safety and security, and even prosperity. [Prosperity according to God’s economy. A later discussion.] Trust God at His word. You’re at peace with Him if you have taken the step to trust Jesus with your life. Now, practice living in it. It will lead you to a very pleasant vantage point with a wonderful view.
“I saw the Lord ever before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope. . .You have revealed the paths of life to me; You will fill me with gladness in Your presence.”
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Journaling Activity
- Add to your journal Romans 12:9-21. This passage is titled Christian Ethics or Christian Virtues in some Bibles.
- Make some observations on how practicing these concepts might bring peace to you as well as peace to others.
- Which of the actions from the passage in Romans can you apply today that will give your life a new path ending in a new perspective?
- Ask the Holy Spirit to assist you in living in peace.