Perfect Peace
Grand Sweep Daily Reading: Genesis 2; Psalms 3, 4
Psalm 4:8 (NIV)
I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)
Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because He trusteth in thee.
Good morning!
Perfect and peace are two words that I find hard to wrap my mind around. When I think of perfection, I think of Jesus Christ. He walked the earth in human flesh, and yet was without sin or blemish. Jesus overcame temptation, experienced the pangs human emotion and need, and He suffered tremendous pain. Jesus separated Himself from His heavenly Father when He took on humanity’s sin and bore it on the cross as a living sacrifice for all people. He conquered the grave and took the keys to Hell by his death and resurrection. He is perfect and holy in every way.
Peace is something I know little of. The Korean War had ended just a few short years before I was born. Since that time, I’ve watched and prayed for brave men and women and their families who have fought and died in the Vietnam War, the Islamic Revolution, the Gulf War, the attack on American soil on 9/11/2001 and the war in Iraq. I witnessed an end to the long-fought Cold War and viewed the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989 on the evening news. We pray for the peace of our beloved Israel. I grieve for little children who have suffered and died in the crossfire for power and control. Acts of terrorism occur virtually every day. Innocent people are being tortured and murdered. There is a loss of regard for the dignity of human life. Suicide bombings, hijacked airplanes, and the beheadings of innocent hostages diminish our hope for real peace on earth. There are millions of people starving to death. Disease rages in countries where there is no clean water to drink. Hunger and poverty prevail. Will human suffering ever end? Will our world ever experience a time of perfect peace?
The prophet Isaiah and King David lived in a time of famine, war and destruction. They saw the plight of human need. And yet, in the midst of chaos, they experienced the gift of perfect peace. Isaiah and David intimately knew the source of all peace. They knew the Lord. They knew Him by placing their faith and trust in Him. They looked beyond what their physical eyes saw - the reality of war, the hatred and bitter jealousies of mankind, and the suffering of those who lack the necessities of life. The looked with eyes of faith to see the wonder and beauty of perfect peace. King David found himself on the run repeatedly. It was hard for him to lie down and rest, knowing his life was in imminent jeopardy. David said, “I will lie down in perfect peace, for you, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” He could sleep peacefully through the toughest of times. His safety net was in the arms of the Lord. The prophet Isaiah said if we trust the Lord and focus on His everlasting love, we would experience perfect peace. Peace during the storms of life; peace in the midst of suffering; peace to carry us when we are dying. Perfect peace does exist, even in times of war.
Do you have trouble sleeping at night? Does the fear of the future hold you in captivity? Is there pain from your past that cuts your heart to the quick? Did you know there is perfect peace waiting for you in the arms of Jesus Christ? Run to Him today. Jump up into His arms and let Him hold you. He offers all of us perfect peace, if we will seek and trust Him day by day. Look beyond what you see with your eyes. Look to Jesus and find perfect peace in Him.
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
www.songofdeborah.com
Pray for: the Lord to give you His perfect peace, as you trust Him more and more each day.
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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