Peace results from a disciplined life of prayer which manifests intimate fellowship with God and the assurance of adequate resources from Him. Trusting in the sovereign God means leaving the results to Him, knowing our calling is not to be successful but to be faithful. And, guess what? Real success in life means living without the worry, fretting, or care that comes from trying to control everything ourselves.

Dependence on the Rock of Ages

Now we are ready for Isaiah's third secret. Look at verse four: "Trust in the Lord forever, for in God, the Lord, is everlasting strength." The Hebrew meaning of trust here is "to lean on Him." Have you been leaning on God? I've learned to lean on Him more lately than I've ever leaned on Him in my life, and you know what? He's reliable. He'll hold you, and He'll pick you up when you stumble. When you're weak, He'll make you strong. He stays your mind on Him so that you can take those very things that would rob you of peace and say, "Lord, please help me." And He will when you lean on Him.

Then Isaiah goes on, "For He is an everlasting strength." What he really means is: He is the Rock of Ages. It is from this reference that Augustus Toplady in 1776 wrote what has become one of the most famous and cherished hymns in Christian history, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee."

Keeping the flow of Isaiah's thought before us, perfect peace is the gift of God to those who allow Him to stay their minds on Him, who receive the gift of trust in Him, and who depend on Him as the Rock, Foundation, and Fortress of their lives.

Our Rock's dependable, saving actions provide the fortress -- like protection which we all need during menacing times. In the Old Testament, "rock" is a broad symbol for divine strength -- hence our English translation: "everlasting strength."

The Prince of Peace

It's not surprising that Isaiah's thought should move from peace through trust to the foundation of that trust in God's strength and salvation. In the scriptures, trust and faith do not exist in a vacuum. Faith is the result of the saving acts of God in the past, present, and future. Salvation is not an occasional intervention by God but an attribute of God. He is the "saving God." Isaiah looked back on the saving acts of God in his people's history, but also he looked forward with steady eyes for the coming of the Messiah, the Prince of Peace. "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His, government and peace there will be no end ..." (Isa. 9:6-7).

We have come full circle to the inseparable relationship between salvation and peace. The superlative peace God offers us comes from the Prince of Peace. Christ came in human flesh to reveal how this perfect peace can be lived in complete trust of the Father. Talk about an example of a mind stayed on the Father! In Christ, we see complete trust, the absolute surrender of will, the unswerving obedience that is the essence of true peace. He went to the cross to atone for our sins and reconcile us to God. Faith in His atoning death brings us forgiveness and new birth. Life begins all over again. We become new creatures. As our reigning Lord, He becomes the Peace of God with us. He has the authority to baptize and fill us daily with the Holy Spirit. Everything necessary to provide us with perfect peace has been done. Peace comes to us as the magnificent gift of the Trinity: the Father's sovereign act of sending His Son and reconciling us through His shed blood, the risen Christ, Lord of our lives, and the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of peace indwelling in us. Staying our minds on the Triune God gives us superlative peace indeed!

Why Do We Still Lack Peace?

Knowing all this why do we still lack peace? The answer is quite simple. We focus our attention on things, people, possessions, success, and, most of all, on ourselves. Peace of mind is lost; emotional turmoil sets in; a battle of wills with the sovereign Lord is engaged; and our bodies receive the brunt of the stress that hits us with full force.

In the midst of the turmoil and the frustration, if we turn our eyes to the cross, we will see the manifestation of God's love for us that we might know the transfer of the peace of heaven to our hearts. And when we accept the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and the cross, His Spirit comes to live in us, and we know a peace that passes understanding -- a peace that doesn't stop.

Again and again, Perfect Peace Himself comes to us and says, "Had enough? Tired and weary? Ready for shalom, shalom? Let Me give you the power to stay your mind on the Father; allow Me to give you trust; accept My strength. I'm the solid rock on which you can stand. Rest in Me! And now receive a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit of peace."

Shalom, shalom to you!

Taken from Perfect Peace copyright 2001 by Lloyd J. Ogilvie, published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR 97402. Used by permission.