Perfect Peace

I enjoy clarity. While I may not always communicate clearly, my attempt is to be simple and clear. That is why I enjoy the Prophet Isaiah. He is straightforward and clear. For example, Isaiah 26:3 says this: “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You." The clear point is God wants us to experience not just peace, but perfect peace. The word peace in Hebrew is "Shalom." You know this word. It means to wish blessing to another person, not just to them, but to their family and their work, crops, livestock, etc. In other words, may be you blessed beyond your imagniation. Now here's the kicker. Shalom is not only mentioned once, but twice in this verse. In fact, it is used by Isaiah back to back, "shalom, shalom." There is really no English equivalency in the translation, so the closest thing to it is "perfect peace." Ok, so how does one experience this perfect peace? Great question... Here is the answer. Usually, when trials and circumstances come into our lives, they become a distraction to us. These can distract us from many things, including our devotion and loyalty to our Lord. When we become distracted, our peace exits the back door too. Have you ever connected those two things? So, instead of allowing trials and circumstances to distract us, let's choose to use them to remind us of the faithfulness of God. When we do this, God promises to give us His peace. Actually, He promises to give us "Shalom - Shalom! In other words, God will give to us and allow us to experience His "perfect peace." Here is Paul's Principle: When life turns up the heat, trust God to cool you down with his peace, perfectly.