Perfect Peace for the Unwavering Mind

After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Acts 27:21-25

 

Our storms must also seem like they have hurricane force winds behind them. We too can get to the point where we feel we can no longer steer the ship of our lives. We can give in to the current of the world, and let it take us where it will. It is easy to despair. But we must have the faith that Paul had. God has spoken into our lives as well beloved. He has said that He has plans for our lives to prosper us, not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). He has said that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). But we must trust in the Lord. We must pass the test of the storms of our lives and still hold fast to the faith that has saved us.

 

Abraham was tested when God told him to go to Mount Moriah and sacrifice his Isaac; the son of promise. Unquestioning, Abraham loaded the provisions for the trip and set out to do the will of the Lord in faith. Even when Isaac asked where the sacrifice was, Abraham's response was one of faith:

 

Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. Genesis 22:8

 

Sure enough, as Abraham marched up one side of the mountain, prepared to sacrifice Isaac in faith, God was sending up a ram on the other side to take his place. God always has your deliverance marching up the other side of your problems. But He wants to see your faith first. He wants to see you continue to march up the mountain and not turn away in fear or worry. He does not ask for your opinion, only your faith. Abraham walked up the mountain with his son Isaac as a sacrifice because he was in perfect peace that God would provide an answer for his problem. That God would be his shelter in the storm. The circumstances did not matter only his faith in God did. Abraham could not see the other side of the mountain. He could not see the deliverance God was already preparing. Faith never has to see it just has to trust.

 

We also cannot see the other side of the mountain we are walking up. We cannot see the refuge in the storm God is preparing. We can only see our circumstances and know that we know that God will make the way. The good news is that there is a perfect peace in this world. The great news is that it is accessible to all of us as believers in Jesus Christ. This peace transcends mere mortal understanding. It covers everything. We need to be unwavering and steadfast in what we believe not be thrown about by the wind. We need to trust that the God who saved us will also be faithful to deliver us. Perfect peace for the unwavering mind.

 

 

Reverend Anthony Wade August 27, 2009