Last Monday an alarm sounded on my phone I had never heard before. The message on the screen said we were under a tornado warning and urged all to immediately take shelter. I quickly stuffed my laptop, flash drives, and a few important documents into my computer bag and made my way downstairs where I joined my daughter and son-in-law. After setting my bag down in the kitchen, I went outside and observed the sky.
Since I didn’t see any tunnels spiraling down from the clouds or hear a distant roar, I figured we were safe, at least for a little while. I looked down both of the rows of houses that jutted out from our corner. Nothing was moving—no vehicle, no person, not even a leaf or blade of grass. The quiet was deafening and the stillness felt eerie. I thought to myself, “Is this the calm before the storm.”
Even though I didn’t observe anything alarming, I knew that could quickly change. So I hung out with the rest of the family in the kitchen in case we had to make a quick dash into the closet under the stairs. I was talking to my son-in-law about what my mother had told me about tornadoes when I heard in my spirit, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.” Although I know a few passages about peace, I was not familiar with these words so I googled keep in peace.
The passage is from Isaiah 26:3.
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You. (NKJV)
What a beautiful promise!
If I keep my mind stayed on the Lord and trust Him, He will keep me in perfect peace.
Perfect peace is the fruit of trusting in God’s perfect love—His love that cast out all fear ( 1 John 4:18).
Monday, when I tucked the Lord’s promise of perfect peace in my heart I had no idea of how much I would need it.
Tuesday my daughter and her two dogs and I evacuated to Maryland because of hurricane Florence. Due to heavy traffic, it took us eleven hours to reach our hotel. For the next few days, my daughter was violently ill. I had to take her to Urgent Care twice. The second time she had to have an IV. Through it all, God kept His promise and kept me in peace, and I constantly felt His presence and saw His faithfulness and goodness in the midst of the storm.
Some of the definitions listed in the Strong’s Concordance for Keep as used in Isaiah 26:3 are to watch, to guard, and to be kept close.
Keeping our minds stayed on the Lord makes us aware of His care over us. As you and I get to know His heart we can rest in His love. Then in the midst of life’s storms, we can confidently say:
Because God loves me He will never leave me nor forsake me.
Because God loves me He will guard and guide me
Because God loves me He will make a way where there is no way.
Because God loves me He will provide.
Because God loves me He will restore.
Because God loves me He will…
No matter what our circumstances, we are promised His peace when we keep our minds stayed on Jesus. To me, this means a lot more than just thinking about Him. It means communing with Him. I need to focus on who He is and hear what He has to say.
At one point in our travels, the Lord spoke to us very clearly that we were to pull into a parking lot and wait for a while. The first few times I tried to leave I lost my peace. I became so confused I called some friends for prayer. I did not have peace to get back on the road until we had a strong prayer covering, and we had completely obeyed all the Lord had instructed us to do. He was definitely guarding and guiding us through peace.
As I mentioned before, God led us through peace-or the absence of peace.
The absence of peace is usually an sign that we need to turn around or wait.
I was astounded at the peace I had-that is until we returned home.
Since the storm veered south my daughter’s home was not damaged. However, my son’s house in Jacksonville was directly in the path of the storm. He is stationed elsewhere, but his wife was at home. Thankfully, she had evacuated to a shelter in Raleigh. After talking to my son and a few other family members who were going through other types of storms, I lost my peace. “Was my daughter in law OK? Do they even still have a house? Is my loved one going to get better? When will another loved one’s unfair circumstances change? How is my son going to get the finances to fly home?” I got frustrated and angry. I wanted to know more. I wanted to do more. I wanted to make all the bad in the lives of my loved ones go away. I felt like I had no control. I had lost my peace.
This time I wasn’t in a parking lot, but the principle was the same. The road I was starting to travel down was dangerous and I needed to park before the Lord and wait on Him until my peace returned.
Instead of focusing on the Lord, I was focusing on circumstances and possible outcomes.
For the next few hours, I drew close to the Lord and gave him my fears, my frustrations, and my loved ones. I had to let go of all I knew and trust that He knew what was best. I had to ask God to forgive me for trying to take control instead of trusting. I had to forgive some people who were making life difficult for some family members. I had to forgive myself for past failures which caused me to want to enable out of guilt.
Repenting, forgiving, and releasing restored my peace.
As I am writing this I realize that many of you are going through difficult circumstances. Some of you, like my son, don’t know if you still have a house. Some of you are either beginning or in the midst of rebuilding. Some of you have recently lost loved ones. Some of you might be sitting by the bed of a sick parent, spouse, or child. Some of you are waiting for justice. Some of you are just waiting for the next step.
Perfect peace does not come in the midst of perfect circumstances; it comes when our minds, hearts, and lives are stayed on our Perfect Savior.
In the midst of difficulties, it’s easy for you and I to get distracted. If you feel a lack of peace, may I encourage you to pull off of the road of your own understanding and seek the Lord. He might show you some things for which you need to repent. He might show you some people you need to forgive and or release. He might reveal things you need to let go of from your past. He might redirect you or reposition you. He may just want to comfort you or heal your heart.
Draw close and let go. As you give the Lord your burdens He will bless you with perfect peace—the peace that comes from keeping your minds stayed on your perfect Savior, the Prince of Peace.
May you be abundantly blessed!
Jeannie
Photo-Engin Akyrt-Pixabay