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On Tuesday we saw that the prerequisite for accessing Jesus' Peace is to give our hearts to Jesus. If you have never done so, we urge you to do so now. It is the only way to having that permanent tranquility, that peaceful state of mind, that is only achieved by Jesus resolving the root of the problem in your life. Before you read any further, please take this vital step. We would love to help you do so, and we invite you to click here.
But maybe you didn't just now give your heart to Jesus. Maybe you have already experienced the peace of salvation, the peace of knowing the debt of your sin is already paid. Nonetheless, your life doesn't seem very peaceful in any other way! Where is that perfect peace that is yours, a fruit of God's Spirit in you?
Let's go to God's Word and see what it has to tell us about accessing Jesus' peace....
Isaiah gives us the first clue for how to access Jesus' peace. "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you..." (Isaiah 26:3 NLT) Once we have given our hearts to Jesus, our next step for accessing that peace is to put our trust in Him!
This makes sense, doesn't it? When we trust in the One who can carry us through our problems, we can have that peace, even in the midst of our problems!
Having faith in the midst of the storms of life can be a difficult thing, and if this is where you find yourself, I invite you to go to a series of studies on this topic to receive some tips on how to put our faith in God in the midst of our circumstances: Mountain Moving Faith!
Isaiah does go on to give us an important clue on how to trust God no matter what. He goes on to say, "You will keep in perfect peace...all whose thoughts are fixed on you!" (Isaiah 26:3b NLT). Thus, this peace that Jesus has to offer is available to everyone whose thoughts are fixed on Him! Isaiah is telling us that keeping our thoughts on Jesus will keep us in peace!
This thought is repeated in John 14:27. The amplified version says this: "Jesus says, Peace I leave with you: My [own] peace I now give...to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]" (John 14:27 AMPC)
Jesus' wording here is interesting. He says, "do not let your hearts be trouble, neither let them be afraid"! This would suggest that we actually have a choice in the matter. Those agitated and disturbed feelings, that sense of intimidation, feeling unsettled, etc., are something we have permitted ourselves to assume!
It makes sense, doesn't it? When we are focusing our thoughts on Jesus and His gift and sacrifice, it is pretty hard to even notice the hustle and bustle going on about us. When we are meditating on Jesus, there is no room in our minds for the struggles going on around us. But when we permit ourselves to focus on the things that are unsettling, troubling, etc., that peace leaves!
Now, I admit, it is pretty hard to keep our minds on Jesus all the time. However, what this text tells me is that when those worries start to creep in, I can still have God's peace -- if I choose to turn my thoughts to Him!
This definitely becomes easier by spending time with God. If He is only our Sunday go-to, we will find it hard, indeed, to experience His peace. But the more time we spend with Him, the better we know Him, the more we naturally gravitate todays making Him our refuge (See Ps. 46:1). And the more we make Him our refuge, the more we live in that promised peace.
Trusting in God, however, doesn't always mean that we will get what we think we want. It doesn't mean that our problems will just go away. What trust means is that we set our hearts to trust in God's love and goodness towards us, no matter what happens. And when we truly trust that God has our best interest in mind, that He will carry us through, no matter how turbulent the waters, that peace can be ours for the taking.
In Part 1 of this series, we saw that God doesn't just promise to give us peace, He is peace. And if God is peace, then the closer we draw to Him, the more we can enjoy His peace. Thus the way to access Jesus' peace, that peace that transcends problems, that is with us even in the midst of the worst circumstances, is to draw near to Him, to keep our hearts and minds focussed on Him, to make Him our refuge at all times. In the midst of the stress that has become synonymous with the holiday season, in the midst of the stresses that will be ours in the upcoming new year, God's peace can still be ours. We can experienced the Peace of the Christ Child, ALL year long!
But if this still seems a bit abstract, you're in good company. Just how does one draw closer to God so that we can enjoy His peace? Join us on Saturday for the final part of "Jesus Peace: Experiencing the Peace of the Christ Child...ALL Year Long! Part 4"
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author -- "Aboard God's Train -- A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer", Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
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