Perfect peace…

There are many times when we long for a bit of peace. Sometimes just in the day to day busyness of life, longing for a moment or two to pause and rest. Then there are times of great trial when our minds are in a whirl, trying to work out solutions or wondering how we’ll get through this hard thing, or hard time and we long for peace then.

But what about perfect peace?

If you truly know Jesus as your Saviour and Friend then I think you’ll have known a little of it at times.

But the psalmist said this…

‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.’

Let’s dig a little deeper…

‘Thou wilt keep’ is just one Hebrew word – natsar – and also means ‘to guard, to protect, maintain, preserve.’

‘Him in perfect’ is again just one Hebrew word – shalowm – safe, peace, great, perfect, well, wholly, completeness, tranquility, quiet.

And ‘peace’ is the same Hebrew word again – shalowm.

Repetition, when the Bible was written, was used as a way of emphasis just as we would use capitals, bold or underline.

So the psalmist is emphasising the fact that God will protect and preserve them in complete tranquillity and peace. Who?

Those…’Whose mind’ – yetser – mind, imagination

Is stayed – camak -‘propped, to lean upon, bear up, rest, establish.’

‘On thee: because he trusteth in thee.’ is also just one Hebrew word – batach -‘to hie for refuge, put confidence, make to hope, put or make to trust.’

Ah Friends, how quickly our minds and imaginations can run riot, thinking on all the ‘whys’, ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys’!!

But this verse gives us the solution, we’re to rest our minds and imaginations on God, leaning upon Christ, laying our burdens upon our Beloved, our minds established in truth, finding our refuge in God.

‘Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;’

So, if we want to know this perfect peace, we must rest our thoughts and imaginations on God.

But to be equipped to do this Friends, we need to know God, REALLY know Him. To know Him through sweet communion in prayer, through reading who He is on His word and by sweet experience. Trusting and believing that God is able to give us the faith we need.

So Friends, let’s be seeking God’s help to take our thoughts and imaginations captive, fixing our gaze upon Jesus, and seeking for grace to put our trust in God in both the small and the big things, so that we might know more of this perfect peace.

Is 26:3, 2 Cor 10:5,