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

It’s not easy to have a perfect peace, when we have so many ‘not right, not complete, not perfect’ things in our life – or in our mind. The endless to-do list and unreachable dreams, complaints and whine from ourselves and others around us; the must to do things right, fast, and perfect – and thousands of other things as our desire and goal – in many times have distract us so much so we don’t have the time to take a breath, and have a perfect peace.

We keep on running and doing our very best, hoping that someday, someday, maybe we can lie down in our bed, in peace, knowing everything has been settled down, every task has been done, that we can somehow gain our perfect peace.

I read my daily devotional in my room this morning. I could say that I still somehow feel empty and restless. Being ill for a month and in my way for having my old pace of life is not so easy. Many times I do feel very tired, purposeless, and my life seems to be off from its regular order.

I do love God, with all my heart. I put my hope in Him alone. But many times I would look blankly on my ceiling thinking, where God does want to lead me to? What kind of life He’s giving to me, when I often feel so incomplete. I feel like I have done all things that I can do, prayed to the highest limit I could – and still I can’t get the grip, I’ve known nothing about where this road leads me.

This morning as I read the Bible and Chambers’ book – my Utmost for His Highness, I was reminded once again, that the true-perfect-peace comes from God alone. Chambers highlighted that only when we shift the focus of our mind to God alone, then He will keep us in perfect peace.

What condition one wants to have in his life? You will keep him in perfect peace.

Who can get the perfect peace? Whose mind is stayed on You.

Why he receive such a perfect peace? Because he trusts in You.

The reason for perfect peace: because we trust in God alone. And the way to trust in Him is by putting our mind on Him – regardless of all the disorderliness and incomplete things in our present life.

The real test of spiritual focus is being able to bring your mind and thoughts under control. Is your mind focused on the face of an idol? Is the idol yourself? Is it your work? Is it your idea of what a servant should be, or maybe your experience of salvation and sanctification? If so, then your ability to see God is blinded. You will be powerless when faced with difficulties and will be forced to endure in darkness. If your power to see has been blinded, don’t look back on your own experiences, but look to God. It is God you need. Go beyond yourself and away from the faces of your idols and away from everything else that has been blinding your thinking. Wake up and accept the ridicule that Isaiah gave to his people, and deliberately turn your thoughts and your eyes to God. (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, 10 February)

Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ . . .” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be one of the greatest assets of your faith when a time of trial comes, because then your faith and the Spirit of God will work together. When you have thoughts and ideas that are worthy of credit to God, learn to compare and associate them with all that happens in nature-the rising and the setting of the sun, the shining of the moon and the stars, and the changing of the seasons. You will begin to see that your thoughts are from God as well, and your mind will no longer be at the mercy of your impulsive thinking, but will always be used in service to God. (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, 11 February)

Today is your birthday. There’s nothing in this world I can give you – but my prayer alone, that you too, my dear friend, will have the perfect peace.

I wish you another year of learning and knowing God, and to have His hands in your life, to form you, transform you, perfect you and strengthen you – in all you are, in all you do.

I wish you a mind that stayed on God, a trust in Him alone, so you might have a perfect peace in your life, to love Him, and serve Him.

Happy birthday, my dear friend.

In His Grace,
Irene