Perfect Peace

When I think of the words ‘perfect peace’ I remember a story I read of a king who sought the perfect painting of peace. The king offered a prize to the artist who could best capture what peace really is. Many artists attempted their best renditions of peace, and the king, in turn, looked at all their pictures carefully. After careful observation he finally narrowed it down to two pictures that he thought were closest and decided to select one of them. One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for the towering yet peaceful mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds Trees blew gently in the breeze with a few birds nestling in its branches. All who saw the picture thought it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains too, but these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which the rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But if you would look closely, behind the waterfall was a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush, a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the rush of angry water, sat a mother bird; warm and quiet in her nest.

I think that is peace, knowing that despite all that is going on around us, and despite the storms of life, inside there can be an inner calm, a peace that surpasses all understanding. To say that we can live life in this world free from turmoil and trouble is a lie. Things are getting harder. The storm is roaring fiercely as we look forward to the return of Jesus. I guess things won’t be getting any better. But, in God, we’re promised we can have a perfect peace.

Why is it perfect? Because whatever God gives is perfect. His love is perfect, His peace is perfect, His joy is perfect. The reason we don’t always experience this peace is because we always fail to fix our minds steadfastly on the prince of peace.

When Hezekiah heard that Assyria was about to invade Judah his faith was shaken and he tried to find a remedy by sending a tribute to the king of Assyria. His faith was shaken because there was approaching danger, but in his despair he went into the temple and cried out to God. He turned His face to the only one who could turn around the impossible situation, and the Lord fought for him, without using any human army (2 Kings 18 and 19).

God waits for us to fix our eyes fully on Him, to renounce our own human understanding and trust in Him completely, not as a second option but as the only option and then, only then, can we fully know the ‘perfect peace’.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I keep my focus on You, help me to fully trust in You despite the storms and situations in my life. Help me to experience your perfect peace in every area of my life. I give you my worries, fears and all my options in solving my problems, and surrender fully to Your will and understanding. Teach me Your will, O Lord. Amen.