The Lord's peace

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

The peace that comes when we our thoughts are fixed upon God is a peace of mind, peace with others, peace with one’s self, and peace through difficult times. As we keep our minds on God we must also trust Him at all times, under all circumstances, and adhere to His desires with total satisfaction.

While staying alone in her convent, an 85-year-old Catholic nun got trapped inside a broken elevator for four nights and three days. She tried pushing the inside elevator door, but the electricity went off. She had her cell phone with her, but there wasn't a signal. Fortunately, she had carried a jar of water, some celery sticks, and a few cough drops into the elevator.

At first she said to herself, This can't happen! But then she decided to turn her elevator into a personal prayer retreat. "It was either panic or pray," she later told an interviewer for CNN. She started viewing the experience as a "gift." "I believe that God's presence was my strength and my joy—really," she said. "I felt God's presence almost immediately. I felt like he provided the opportunity for a closer relationship." [Jenny Wilson, "Nun Stuck in Elevator Survives Four Nights on Celery Sticks, Water and

Cough Drops," Time.com (4-28-11)]

The nun’s choice, focus on panic or focus upon The Lord. Had she focused on panic, her fear would have increased. However, by staying focused on The Lord in prayer she was able to remain calm until her rescue.

All of us go through anxious or fearful moments. Let us turn to The Lord that He may supply the peace we need in our moment of desperation. Philippians 4:6-8 tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.”