You’ve maybe seen this bumper sticker? I saw it drive by just this week:
“Know God, know peace.
No God, no peace.”
Are you struggling with something and finding no peace? Go to the Lord in prayer. There’s a whole lot’a stuff that can keep us struggling! Life throws curve balls. And we’re not all that perfect. We all have issues. Things can get out of balance real quickly.
Something always seems to be just around the corner to bring more turmoil: accident happens, disease hits you, sickness strikes – financial struggles, government interferes, job problems, temptations all around, sin we can fall into. You fail somehow, friends become fickle, marriage bonds dissolve, someone sues you, world events worry you, nature’s disasters worry you or ruins you… fires/earthquakes/hurricanes/cyclones. It may come from inside us or it may come from the world, but, we know: It’s comin’ round the corner!
Things can set our mind a’ swirling. Control is lost. We’re filled with fears and tears. Our mind careens, gets skewed, somehow imbalanced. Don’t know how to cope! [See Wall Street Journal article (Dec. 21, 2017): The Salvation of ‘Napalm Girl’]
We want to set our mind at rest. Find that perfect state of mind: Peace
The prophet said to the Lord,
“You will keep him
in perfect peace
whose mind
is stayed
on You,
because
he trusts in You”
– Isaiah 26:3
The Amplified Bible (AMP) version brings-out further meanings from the original Hebrew:
“You will keep in [a]perfect and constant peace
the one whose mind is steadfast
[that is, committed and focused on You
—in both [b]inclination and character],
Because he trusts
and takes refuge
in You
[with hope and confident expectation].
– Isaiah 26:3 Amplified Bible (AMP)
A good life habit is to always go to God in prayer. Make it a habit to pray often. Then you are already on your knees (in your heart) when disaster or struggles hit! God cares. He understands. Do you trust Him? He will give you peace.
The truth of what the prophet Isaiah said, is basically:
[Using the Amplified Bible version of Isaiah 26:3 and my words:]
Because I take refuge in God–
I trust fully in God
with hope and confident expectation
deep inside who I am in my soul,
and I keep
my mind
controlled and focused
on God Himself,
He Himself
will maintain
in me
a constant state
of balance and peace.
Like Peter walking on the water — if I take my eyes off Jesus, I begin to sink. I begin to worry. I begin to loose it! I become unbalanced in my soul.
When the burden is heavy, I like to pray.
Lord, All of this… I bring to You. You’ve asked me to cast my cares on You. I know you care about me. So here it is…. This is what I am dealing with, and I need your peace, your wisdom. Help me in this situation. I give it all to You to deal with.
May The Lord help us to keep our minds “stayed on Him”. There is no better way to deal with life.
References
2 Samuel 22 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Ecclesiastes 3 Amplified Bible (AMP)
1 Peter 5:7 Amplified Bible (AMP)
“…casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].
FOR MORE:
The Salvation of ‘Napalm Girl’ Appeared in the December 22, 2017, print edition of the Wall Street Journal.
Excerpt: “My faith in Jesus Christ is what has enabled me to forgive those who had wronged me—no matter how severe those wrongs were. Faith also inspired me to pray for my enemies rather than curse them. It enabled me not only to tolerate those who had wronged me but to love them.
“No matter what type of pain or sorrow you may be experiencing, as Christmas approaches, I encourage you not to give up. Hold fast to hope. It is hope that will see you through. This peace I have found can be yours as well. I pray that it finds you this Christmas.”
Ms. Kim is the author of “Fire Road: The Napalm Girl’s Journey through the Horrors of War to Faith, Forgiveness, and Peace” (Tyndale Momentum, 2017). She lives in the Toronto area.
Matthew 14:25-34 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately He spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I! Do not be afraid!”
28 Peter replied to Him, “Lord, if it is [really] You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 He said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw [the effects of] the wind, he was frightened, and he began to sink, and he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus extended His hand and caught him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you [c]doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those in the boat worshiped Him [with awe-inspired reverence], saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”
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