peace of God – Praying Pint

53.w. Isaiah 26:3-4

Isa 26:3-4  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

Isaiah 57:19-21    creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal him.  But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt.  There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

Psalms 85:7-8   Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.  Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

Micah 5:5     And he shall be their peace.

John 14:27    Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 16:33   I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Romans 5:1    Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:14-16     For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility  by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,  and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

Philippians 4:7    And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 31:1   Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD!

Psalms 9:10     And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Jeremiah 17:7-8    “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.  He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Romans 4:21   fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

That day, seems to mean when the New Testament Babylon shall be levelled with the ground. The unchangeable promise and covenant of the Lord are the walls of the church of God. The gates of this city shall be open. Let sinners then be encouraged to join to the Lord. Thou wilt keep him in peace; in perfect peace, inward peace, outward peace, peace with God, peace of conscience, peace at all times, in all events. Trust in the Lord for that peace, that portion, which will be for ever. Whatever we trust to the world for, it will last only for a moment; but those who trust in God shall not only find in him, but shall receive from him, strength that will carry them to that blessedness which is for ever. Let us then acknowledge him in all our ways, and rely on him in all trials. (Henry)

‘Peace, peace;’ the repetition of the word denoting, as is usual in Hebrew, emphasis, and here evidently meaning undisturbed, perfect peace. That is, the mind that has confidence in God shall not be agitated by the trials to which it shall be subject; by persecution, poverty, sickness, want, or bereavement. (Barnes)

The word “perfect” is not in the Hebrew text, it is there “peace, peace”; which is doubled to denote the certainty of it, the enjoyment of it, and the constancy and continuance of it; and as expressive of all sorts of peace, which God grants unto his people, and keeps for them, and them in; as peace with God and peace with men, peace outward and peace inward, peace here and peace hereafter; and particularly it denotes the abundance of peace that believers will have in the kingdom of Christ in the latter day. (Gill)

33.b. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you”

Job 34:29  When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or a man?

2 Samuel 7:1   Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies,

Isaiah 26:3  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Isaiah 32:17   And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.

John 14:27     Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Romans 8:31    What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Philippians 4:7   And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Kings 18:12    because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. They neither listened nor obeyed.

Psalms 13:1    How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

Psalms 27:9   Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!

Psalms 30:7    By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.

Psalms 143:7   Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.

When God purposes to give rest, comfort, ease, or prosperity in any way to man, it is that soul that finds a quietness within their soul and there is nothing or no one that can take it away, though other men or Satan himself hard as they may try. God is in control of all things and He can bring peace or adversity upon a person or nation at His own pleasure.

We may chase after worldly and fleshly things that we think will give us peace and quietness to our soul but in the end, they leave us unsatisfied and wanting. People write about how they have found peace and prosperity in a host of diverse ways and people who are searching for this peace and prosperity flock to them like bees to honey. They are ever searching and never finding that which only God can give and that which can only be found in humble service to Him. Oh, people may have temporary peace and prosperity in their life, but lasting contentment it is not.

A believer should continually give thought to blessings from God and should know when it is that God has turned His face from them. The problem is that too many give no thought to either. They plod along in life as if there is no God and things happen by chance or fate. When a person does not acknowledge God or His control over all creation, how are they to find peace and quietness for their soul?

God has all things under his control, and he can bring prosperity or adversity upon an individual or a nation at his own pleasure. Who then can make trouble? – literally, “Who can condemn, or hold guilty”. The sense is, that no one can overwhelm him with the consciousness of guilt, to whom God intends to give the peace resulting from his favor and friendship. Or, no one can bring calamities upon a man “as if” he were guilty, or so as to “show” that he is guilty, when God intends to treat him as if he were not. This is as true and sure as the sun rising and setting. When God designs to give peace to a man’s soul, and to impart to him the evidence that his sins are forgiven, there is no one who can excite in his mind the conviction of guilt, or take away the comfort that God gives. When he designs to “treat” a man as if he were his friend, and to impart to him such evidences of his favor as shall convince the world that he is his friend, there is no one who can prevent it. (Barnes)

If we are to find this peace and quietness of our souls, it is only in and through God. When a soul purposefully surrenders to humbly serving, following, trusting, obeying, and relying on Jesus Christ the peace of God that passes all understanding is theirs.

18.v. “For he will speak peace to his people”

John 16:31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Psalms 85:8-11    Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

Micah 5:5   And he shall be their peace.

Ephesians 2:14-17    For he himself is our peace

Philippians 4:7    And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Thessalonians 3:16     Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Jesus relied upon His close relationship with God all the way to the cross, and even upon it. In the loneliest moments imaginable, He understood that the Father was with Him. (Guzik)

“I remember that passage about Abraham going with Isaac to mount Moriah, where Isaac was to be offered up. It is written, ‘So they went both of them together.’ So did the Eternal Father and his Well- beloved Son when God was about to give up his own Son to death. There was no divided purpose; they went both of them together.” (Spurgeon)

Jesus offered His disciples peace. He made the offer in the most unlikely circumstances. At that very minute, Judas met with Jesus’ enemies to plot His arrest. Jesus knew that He would be arrested, forsaken, rejected, mocked, humiliated, tortured and executed before the next day was over. We think that the disciples should have comforted Him – yet Jesus had peace, and enough to give to others. Jesus did not promise peace; He offered it. He said, “you may have peace.” People may follow Jesus yet deny themselves this peace. We gain the peace Jesus offered by finding it in Him. Jesus said, “that in Me you may have peace.” We won’t find real peace anywhere else other than in Jesus. This word of peace is especially meaningful set in the context of conflict – tribulation and overcome both speak of battles to fight. “He promises a peace which co-exists with tribulation and disturbances, a peace which is realized in and through conflict and struggle.” (Maclaren)

Jesus also made the promise of tribulation. Peace is offered to us, but tribulation is promised. Understanding this removes a false hope. Struggling Christians often hope for the day when they will laugh at temptation and there will be one effortless victory after another. We are promised struggle as long as we are in this world; yet there is peace in Jesus.

18.m. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you”

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

Isaiah 32:15-17     until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.  Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.  And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.

Romans 8:6    For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Philippians 4:7   And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The peace this world has to offer is often based on deliberate blind and deafness, half-truths and lies, and a host of other shiny bright distractions or false alternatives. The peace which the world offers us is the peace of escape, the peace which comes from the avoidance of trouble and from refusing to face things.” (Barclay) Jesus offers a better peace, a real peace, a peace that passes all understanding.

When Jesus is our refuge, hope, rock, courage, and strength we find peace. This does not mean freedom from trouble but rather Peace of Mind. We are definitely living in troubling times. Good is called bad, bad is called good, and lies and half-truths fill media news. Fear is being sold at every opportunity and the problem is that way too many Christians are buying it, cowering to it, and even proclaiming it. Love, faith, hope, and trust in Jesus Christ casts out all fear. The arrows of fear never strike. The arrows of fear pass us by as we stand on the Rock of our salvation. David said; “You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge”

“Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”

Peace comes at a price. That price is total surrender to the author and finisher, alpha and omega, creator, and all-powerful heavenly Father. Too often we think that the more we are in control the better it will be, the more peace we will find. Only when we surrender all we have and all we are to Jesus Christ will we find the peace that passes all understanding.

9.e. “When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”

Joel 1:19 To you, O Lord, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Psalms 50:15    and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalms 91:15   When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

Micah 7:7    But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Habakkuk 3:17-18     Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,  yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Luke 18:1     And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart

Luke 18:7   And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?

Philippians 4:6-7     do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The people of Judah are going through trouble, granted it is a consequence of their unrepentant hearts, but they are truly going through something terrible. We go through trials and troubles. Some of these are a result of the consequences of our doing and others because of the consequences of others. These all are known by God. There is no surprise to God and all of these trials and troubles should bring us humbly before God, calling on His name, expect deliverance, and glorify Him. What really happens and how do we react in times of trials and troubles? Do we run to Jesus Christ first or to something / somewhere else? Are you able to say in the midst of trials and troubles “yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation?” When things are going well are we rejoicing and glorifying Jesus? Or are we just living in the moment of the ease of life, not giving much thought or care to live humble serving, following, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ? Do we need trials and troubles to bring us back to Jesus Christ? Do we need trials and troubles to reset our focus on what is truly important in life this side of eternity? Think about it. Do we seek and desire Jesus Christ’s influence and leading in our life more when things are going well or when things are upended? We do well to set Jesus Christ first in all things and at all times.