Is Peace Even Possible?

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Day 4

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What comes to mind when you see the word anxiety? Are you inundated with worries about your future? Your finances? Your friend group? Do you think of a particular situation that plagues your thoughts? Do you just breeze past that weight, suppressing another worry for another day?

Many of us can relate to these feelings, whether amplified in a moment or plaguing our day to day. Maybe for you the title of today’s teaching summarizes the very question you keep asking: is peace even possible? Let’s look to scripture.

Summary

“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 26:3-4

To see the path forward, we need to look back. At the opening of chapter 24, the prophet Isaiah is depicting the incoming judgment facing the earth.

“The wasted city is broken down;

every house is shut up so that none can enter.

There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;

all joy has grown dark;

the gladness of the earth is banished.

Desolation is left in the city;

the gates are battered into ruins.

For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth

among the nations,

as when an olive tree is beaten,

as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.”

Isaiah 24:10-13

Pay attention to the language here—broken down, outcry, desolation—these words feel dramatic until you have been in a place where it felt as though all was lost.

Isaiah parallels this city to the one referenced in chapter 26. In verse 1, we see a different depiction, one of strength and welfare. When we turn the page in our bible back a chapter, we see why.

“On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples

a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,

of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

And he will swallow up on this mountain

the covering that is cast over all peoples,

the veil that is spread over all nations.

He will swallow up death forever;

and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,

and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,

for the Lord has spoken.

It will be said on that day,

“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.

Isaiah 25:6-9

How is this possible? How did the city move from desolation to peace? The King entered the scene. Peace doesn’t come from the absence of hard things, it comes from the presence of the King of Kings.

Look to 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.”

And Psalm 55:22

“Cast your burden on the Lord,

and he will sustain you;

he will never permit

the righteous to be moved.”

And Jesus’ words in 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.”

The peace you are promised in Christ comes from His presence. That doesn’t mean we are off the hook; today’s text provides us with an action and an outcome that lead us to experience the peace we are promised.

Action: Put Your Mind on Christ and Trust Him

“You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.”

Isaiah 26:3

Practically, we put our mind on Christ by taking inventory of what is currently in our minds. As you evaluate, ask:

Does what I am thinking about or dwelling on help me set my mind on Christ?

Are my thoughts aligned with, or an opposite agent, of what I know to be true in Christ?

Carefully evaluate what thoughts you are allowing to take up space, and begin clearing out the ones you need to let go of. This action will lead to an outcome.

Outcome: Peace and Security

“Trust in the Lord forever,

for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”

Isaiah 26:4

In the midst of whatever you are facing, peace and security are available to you.

How do we live these verses out? We actively set our mind on Christ and we receive the peace He promised us. Life is not perfect. Hard days happen. Things will fall apart. But perfect peace is available to you today in the midst of it all.

What's Next?

How does the juxtaposition of the two cities in Isaiah chapters 24 and 26 illustrate the transformative power of faith and trust in God?
In what ways can you practice setting your mind on Christ? List out some practical steps you can take this week.
Think about the metaphor of a security guard or bouncer being used to describe how we should evaluate what enters our minds. Can you think of specific examples or strategies that might help in guarding and filtering your thoughts?
What do you understand about the relationship between trust in God and experiencing peace?

Scripture References

14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,

15and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

17so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

12For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

14For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the

Lord

your God will be with you wherever you go.”

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

16But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the

Lord

, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

14I will be found by you,” declares the

Lord

, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the

Lord

, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the

Lord

given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

4I prayed to the

Lord

my God and confessed:

“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

27So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

15And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.”

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

9not by works, so that no one can boast.

10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

3You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast,

because they trust in you.

4Trust in the

Lord

forever,

for the

Lord

, the

Lord

himself, is the Rock eternal.

10The ruined city lies desolate;

the entrance to every house is barred.

11In the streets they cry out for wine;

all joy turns to gloom,

all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.

12The city is left in ruins,

its gate is battered to pieces.

13So will it be on the earth

and among the nations,

as when an olive tree is beaten,

or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.

6On this mountain the

Lord

Almighty will prepare

a feast of rich food for all peoples,

a banquet of aged wine—

the best of meats and the finest of wines.

7On this mountain he will destroy

the shroud that enfolds all peoples,

the sheet that covers all nations;

8he will swallow up death forever.

The Sovereign

Lord

will wipe away the tears

from all faces;

he will remove his people’s disgrace

from all the earth.

The

Lord

has spoken.

9In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;

we trusted in him, and he saved us.

This is the

Lord

, we trusted in him;

let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

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

22Cast your cares on the

Lord

and he will sustain you;

he will never let

the righteous be shaken.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Psalm 37

Of David.

1Do not fret because of those who are evil

or be envious of those who do wrong;

2for like the grass they will soon wither,

like green plants they will soon die away.

3Trust in the

Lord

and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4Take delight in the

Lord

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the

Lord

;

trust in him and he will do this:

6He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun.

7Be still before the

Lord

and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9For those who are evil will be destroyed,

but those who hope in the

Lord

will inherit the land.

10A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

11But the meek will inherit the land

and enjoy peace and prosperity.

12The wicked plot against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them;

13but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

for he knows their day is coming.

14The wicked draw the sword

and bend the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ways are upright.

15But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

16Better the little that the righteous have

than the wealth of many wicked;

17for the power of the wicked will be broken,

but the

Lord

upholds the righteous.

18The blameless spend their days under the

Lord

’s care,

and their inheritance will endure forever.

19In times of disaster they will not wither;

in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20But the wicked will perish:

Though the

Lord

’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,

they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

21The wicked borrow and do not repay,

but the righteous give generously;

22those the

Lord

blesses will inherit the land,

but those he curses will be destroyed.

23The

Lord

makes firm the steps

of the one who delights in him;

24though he may stumble, he will not fall,

for the

Lord

upholds him with his hand.

25I was young and now I am old,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.

26They are always generous and lend freely;

their children will be a blessing.

27Turn from evil and do good;

then you will dwell in the land forever.

28For the

Lord

loves the just

and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;

the offspring of the wicked will perish.

29The righteous will inherit the land

and dwell in it forever.

30The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,

and their tongues speak what is just.

31The law of their God is in their hearts;

their feet do not slip.

32The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

intent on putting them to death;

33but the

Lord

will not leave them in the power of the wicked

or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34Hope in the

Lord

and keep his way.

He will exalt you to inherit the land;

when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

35I have seen a wicked and ruthless man

flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,

36but he soon passed away and was no more;

though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37Consider the blameless, observe the upright;

a future awaits those who seek peace.

38But all sinners will be destroyed;

there will be no future for the wicked.

39The salvation of the righteous comes from the

Lord

;

he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40The

Lord

helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.

4May he give you the desire of your heart

and make all your plans succeed.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

2“Meaningless! Meaningless!”

says the Teacher.

“Utterly meaningless!

Everything is meaningless.”

3What do people gain from all their labors

at which they toil under the sun?

1Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

2but whose delight is in the law of the

Lord

and who meditates on his law day and night.

3That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

41He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

97Oh, how I love your law!

I meditate on it all day long.

98Your commands are always with me

and make me wiser than my enemies.

99I have more insight than all my teachers,

for I meditate on your statutes.

100I have more understanding than the elders,

for I obey your precepts.

101I have kept my feet from every evil path

so that I might obey your word.

102I have not departed from your laws,

for you yourself have taught me.

103How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104I gain understanding from your precepts;

therefore I hate every wrong path.

Heath Hatmaker

Heath Hatmaker leads the Student Ministry for Passion City Church 515. He studied church leadership at Liberty University before moving to Chicago where he met his wife, Colleen. They now live in Marietta with their children, Willa and Bear. Heath loves to drink a cup of coffee, connect with people, and communicate God’s word.