“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).
TEXT —Isaiah 26:1-11
Message
Thomas à Kempis, the German-Dutch author of the renowned book The Imitation of Christ, wrote of the concept of peace: “The more humble and obedient to God a man is, the more wise and at peace he will be in all he does.” He meant that if you want peace, associate with God in obedience and humility. And as He gives peace, He also delivers wisdom to the seeker.
Kempis’ counsel, given hundreds of years ago, is a direct pick from the Scriptures and applies to our present world which is trapped in insecurity across the nations. Peace has eluded the nations as we hear of full-scale wars, low-intensity conflicts, insurrections, gang wars, coups d’état, economic depression, failed governments, drug wars, violence, and so on, all defying tested human policies. But the Bible, as found in today’s text, highlights the perfect peace reserved for God’s people as well as other divine mercies and hope they enjoy in contrast with the frightful fate of the ungodly and unrepentant people. Even in the darkest and most challenging times, those who put their trust in God remain cool and calm because God’s presence is with them.
We must return to the Prince of Peace to recover our sanity which was lost as we disconnected from God. Self-rule and secular humanistic thinking have led us to a life of ruinous existence and waste, like the prodigal son. The prevailing global economic and social chaos is threatening to destroy the planet and its inhabitants as we continue to grope for solutions. The prodigal boy did not get deliverance until he returned home to his father. We cannot expect to enjoy the fruits of God’s mercies while holding on to our rebellious and sinful ways.
Satan is standing by to heap more insecurity and instability on those who forsake the ways of the Prince of Peace and bar Him from entering their world. But God is also close by, ready to “open the… gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.” Entering in means allowing that precious virtue, peace, into our lives.
Thought for the day
To reject the Prince of Peace is to sign up for peril and perdition.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
