“You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
Isaiah 26:3
The world is in a crisis like nothing we have ever seen in our lifetimes. Around March 2020 the world took notice of an invisible enemy that is no respecter of persons. Its effects have been felt on both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave. As I write this, there have been more than 35 million people in the world infected with COVID-19 and more than 1,000,000 deaths. Overnight world economies came to a halt, travel was suspended, entertainment and pleasure ceased, and places of worship were closed. Now, seven months later, things have only gotten worse in the world with fires and famines, racial discrimination, and violent riots. With such ominous news bombarding us every day as we shelter in place, where does one get hope? How can we have peace?
Bible Promise: Perfect Peace
The Bible promises that God will keep you in perfect peace, not just any "peace," but a peace that is "perfect." There are no exceptions to this promise! God didn’t say “you will have perfect peace except if you contract the coronavirus”, or “except if your house is foreclosed on”, or “except if you lose your job”, or “except if you are going through a divorce”, or “except if you are _____________” (fill in the blank).
No, God promises perfect peace without exception, and with only one condition to qualify. Trying to qualify for government aid requires you to jump through hoop after hoop, yet God always makes everything He offers simple to obtain. In the case of perfect peace, just keep your mind stayed upon Him. This is a Bible concept that is simple to understand yet hard to put into practice. It reminds me of the children of Israel as they journeyed to the Promised Land, forced to go out of their way because the Edomites refused to allow them to pass through (Numbers 20:14-21; 21:4). The Bible says the Israelites took their minds off God and started to focus on the circumstances around them (Numbers 21:4-5). Once their focus changed to themselves and their problems, they started to complain. But they didn’t just complain about their problems, they even complained about God’s blessings! “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread” (Numbers 21:5, emphasis added). They complained about the manna God was sustaining them with miraculously.
Despite all of God's provisions, protection, and blessings, the Israelites still did not trust in Him. So God removed his hand of protection and allowed fiery serpents to come into the camp and bite the people. Ironically, when this happened the people forgot all about their detour around Edom, their lack of water and food, and they cried out to Moses to “pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents” (Numbers 21:7).
But God didn't take away the problem. Instead, He gave a solution that taught them the lesson they should have already learned — to keep their mind stayed upon Him. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a cross, that whoever looked at the serpent would be healed. In order to live, the Israelites had to focus on the bronze serpent, a symbol of Christ on the cross (John 3:14-15). They were not to look at their problems — all the snakes slithering around them, but to Jesus. Such a simple instruction, yet so difficult to put into practice, especially if you hate snakes! But as long as the people were looking at the cross, their problems didn’t affect them, the snakes didn’t bite and their prior bites were healed.
We too have many problems, not just around us in the world, but also biting us and causing us pain and suffering. It is much easier to focus on our problems, losing sight of Christ, just like it was easier for the Israelites to be looking around for snakes, instead of looking up to the cross.
God promises us that no matter what is going on around us or happening to us, we will not lose our peace if we keep our minds stayed upon Him because we trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3). God knows you are in the wilderness. He knows you need basic necessities, like food and water. And He has promised to supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19). He loves you and will take care of you, so you don’t have to worry about the crisis in the world, in your job, in your church, or in your home. Keep your mind stayed on him, and you can be at perfect peace, knowing He will work it out.
The apostle Paul had perfect peace during the literal storm in his life, when his boat was lost at sea and then broken up by violent waves (read Acts 27). Instead of being afraid or focusing on his problems, he trusted God and used the situation as an opportunity to share his faith. After being washed up on shore with all the other passengers, a snake bit him! Paul could have complained or sunk into despair, but instead, he calmly shook the snake off into the fire. He was in perfect peace, trusting the Lord with his life. The people were amazed and gave their hearts to God, because of the peace Paul had during the crisis.
Call to Action: Keep Our Eyes on Christ
The world is in a storm right now. Pray that you will be like Paul, living a life of perfect peace despite how the storm is impacting your life. We don't have to worry about Satan, that old serpent, nor anything he tries to throw at us. If we keep our eyes on Christ and trust Him in all situations, we will trample on serpents (Luke 10:19) and be in perfect peace.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
