Perfect Peace
Perfect Peace
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Isaiah 26:3 nlt
Pause
My oldest daughter contracted meningitis when she was a year old. Two misdiagnoses led to a nightmarish monthlong hospitalization that included two surgeries. My baby’s brush with death left me panicked more than once. I longed for peace, but it seemed unattainable at the time.
I wish I knew then what I know now: Peace is possible, and in greater measure than we might expect. In Hebrew, the word shalom means “peace.” In Isaiah 26:3, the term is shalom shalom—“perfect peace.” Perfect—flawless, complete, total.
Imagine experiencing total peace. No shred of worry, no trace of fear. No doubt, no dread, no sleepless nights or knotted tummies. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is—except in this case.
God promises to give us flawless, complete, total peace, but there’s one caveat. We must do our part by training our thoughts to stay where they belong. Shalom shalom comes when we keep our minds on him and trust him for the best outcome.
Ponder
On what are your thoughts fixed in this situation?
Pray
Father, please help me keep my thoughts on you, not on the situation at hand. Then fill me with shalom shalom—your perfect peace.
“In the midst of depression, grief, or fighting any battle of the mind, no one wants to be told, ‘Think positive thoughts.’ We all know it’s important to think positively. But how do we do it? We have to purposefully set our minds on truth. Thinking positively often requires digging deep and making choices that are contrary to our feelings.”
Rachel Wojo, One More Step: Finding Strength When You Feel Like Giving Up
From the book
