"You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on the Lord." Isaiah 26:3

Yesterday’s sermon was on the peace of Christ and I found it refreshing to my weary soul.

The peace of God is always something that will baffle my mind. How is that in the midst of the hardest trials, when hope seems so far away, I’m able to say that I have peace. How am I after having all my plans for happiness put on hold until who knows when, able to stay here, in this season of waiting, and be at peace. It’s a miracle, that’s what it is. God’s peace is a miracle.

God’s peace is a peace that passes understanding. I think I get that now. It’s a mystery that only those who are in Christ can understand. I’m not saying that I am not hurting anymore. My heart still aches with pain and grieving for the way things have turned out in my life. I pray desperately for the waiting to be quick and for God to work mightily in my situation. But my hope was never placed in the fruition of those things. My heart may be breaking, but I have peace, because my hope has always been in Christ. No one can take Christ from me and that is what fills my heart up with this peace.

Oh how happy I am that we have a God who cares for us through each and every trial we face. God sees us with our aching hearts. He sees our hurt and our pain. He has a purpose in the waiting, but he also promises to give those who are his children peace as they walk through each hardship.

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which your were called..." Colossians 15:3

I have a feeling that the Devil likes to tell us that we have no hope, that we’ll be stuck like in this valley forever, that we’ll never be happy. If we let ourselves think this way we can’t have God’s peace. If we can’t find peace, maybe it’s because we are looking down too much at our struggles and our pain. When we fix our eyes above to Christ and let his love and peace rule in our hearts, we will find the rest and strength to face whatever it is that God has asked us to face.

The lyrics from the popular hymn have never sounded more true or sweet in my ears

Oh what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.

This is going to be my focus this week. I want to keep soaking up this peace that comes from Christ. I want to keep looking up and choosing to take all my worries and pain to the God who cares for me. You can find this peace too! Whatever your waiting for, take heart, God loves you and wants you to have his peace as you wait.