Perfect Peace

 You may be saying, "But I don't know how to meditate."  However, if you know how to worry, then you know how to meditate. 

Worry is when you take a negative idea and continue to think on it over and over, and it will usually start to affect you negatively. When you take a Truth from Scripture and think on it over and over, we call that meditation. Meditation just means you focus your attention over and over on the Word of God. When one continually mutters God’s Word to himself, he is constantly thinking about it. The benefits will be a blessing. 

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My heart was drawn back to one of my Daddy, Eston Willis’ favorite scriptures, Isaiah 26:3 ... “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” 

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The Hebrew word for “mind”—yêtser—is translated “imagination” four other times in the Old Testament. So, you could quote this verse this way: “The Lord will keep you in perfect peace when your imagination is stayed upon Him, because you trust Him.” Imagination. Meditation. Worship. To mediate you have to imagine. Your imagination is part of meditating.

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Isaiah 26:3...

Amplified: You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].

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Young's Literal: An imagination supported You fortify peace—peace! For in You it is confident.

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Your imagination is your ability to see with your heart what you can’t see with your eyes. Your imagination is how you think, how you meditate, how you understand, and how you remember things. We really can’t do anything without our imagination.

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God's Word comes alive when you can picture what it’s talking about. Let the Word of God control your imagination as you think about scriptures, and you will see things in Scripture that you can’t see with your physical eyes. You see it on the inside…in your imagination.

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Your imagination is a powerful entity. It can cause the hair on the back of our neck to stand up, our spirit to soar, or our face to blush. Imagination is the power that holds our beliefs together; we believe with our imagination. Imagination is the wellspring of faith and hope. Our biggest and best dreams for ourselves and others rise from the imagination. 

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It is the work of the imagination to reinterpret and reform repeated assumptions and expectations. When we enlarge the context, we refocus, or we see it through a wider lens. Imagination is the work of seeing through a wider lens. When you enlarge your perceptions using your God-given imagination, you give yourself the opportunity to turn from the negative aspects of your past, to get rid of the excess baggage, and to face the journey into the future with hope.

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You may be saying, "But I don't know how to meditate."  However, if you know how to worry, then you know how to meditate. 

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Worry is when you take a negative idea and continue to think on it over and over, and it will usually start to affect you negatively. When you take a Truth from Scripture and think on it over and over, we call that meditation. Meditation just means you focus your attention over and over on the Word of God. When one continually mutters God’s Word to himself, he is constantly thinking about it. The benefits will be a blessing. 

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Pastor John Piper gives an interesting word picture of meditation writing: “If you want to be filled with the Spirit of passion and exultation over the great things of God, you must fill your mind day and night with the Word of God. Pour over it. Memorize it. Chew it. Put it like a lozenge under the tongue of your soul and let it flavor your affections day and night.”

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Pastor Warren W. Wiersbe writes, “The believer’s mind should become like a “spiritual computer.” It should be so saturated with Scripture that when he faces a decision or a temptation, he automatically remembers the Scriptures that relate to that particular situation. It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to bring God’s Word to our minds when we need it. But the Spirit of God cannot remind you of something that you have not learned! You must first let him teach you the Word. You must memorize the Scripture that He opens up to you. Then the Spirit of God will be able to remind you of what you have learned.”

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Finally, in Isaiah 26:3 God’s promised peace has two conditions: First, it is for those who trust in Him, which means to commit ourselves to the Lord, lean on him, and hope confidently in Him. Second, it is for those who fix their thoughts on God using their imagination. We are often preoccupied and have our minds focused on many other things. 

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Some of us seem to have a tape in our minds that keeps replaying a list of responsibilities, tasks and scheduled activities, problems and burdens, and the tragedies and fearful things going on in the world around us. But when we use our God-given imagination and fix our minds and thoughts on the character and attributes of the Lord our God, we have something different playing in our minds: the reminder that God is our everlasting rock, our refuge in times of trouble, the Lord Almighty who holds the whole world and each of us individually in His hands. 

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With God as our focus and with our faith firmly fixed on him, we can experience the truth of this verse: He will keep us in perfect and constant peace no matter what happens. It’s a promise. 

Heavenly Father, I need Your peace today. I ask you to help me to do these things: to lean on you, to meditate on your character and attributes, and to trust you with all my heart. Thank You for Your promise that Your perfect peace will guard my heart and mind. In Christ, we are relaxed and at peace in the midst of the confusions, bewilderments, and perplexities of this life, because we trust in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Look Up—meditate on Isaiah 26:3

Look In—as you meditate on Isaiah 26:3 pray to see how you might apply it to your life.

Look Out—as you meditate on Isaiah 26:3 pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others.

Overcoming resurrection power

 This beautiful watercolor painting of The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, Israel, reminded me of the mighty power and majesty of the resurrection of Christ. As I pondered this wonderful Truth, I turned to a word study of Ephesians 1:19-20…

Amplified: By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places]

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NLT: I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms.

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Phillips:  and how tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God. That power is the same divine power which was demonstrated in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and gave Him the place of supreme honor in Heaven.

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Wuest: and what is the super-abounding greatness of His inherent power to us who are believing ones as measured by the operative energy of the manifested strength of His might, which might was operative in the Christ when He raised Him from among the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.

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Young's Literal: and what the exceeding greatness of His power to us who are believing, according to the working of the power of His might, which He wrought in the Christ, having raised Him out of the dead, and did set Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.

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The Message: Oh, the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust Him—endless energy, boundless strength. All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from His rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything.

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I find great encouragement in a word study of the four different Greek words used in this Scripture for the resurrection power with which God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and toward us who believe…

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NASB: what is the surpassing greatness of His ‘power’ toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the ‘working’ of the ‘strength’ of His ‘might’ which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. 

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power (dunamis)—dynamic—it refers to intrinsic power. The gospel is dynamic, God’s dynamic, and so is powerful in the transformation of human lives. Dunamis is the same power that resides in believers because we are in Christ and He is in us.

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working (energeia)—describes effectual working, efficiency or active, effective power. In this passage, energeia describes the active, energetic, productive power of God at work. Energeia describes God’s power in raising Christ, Paul instructs us that we have it, too.

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strength (kratos)—refers to manifested power or power that is released, put forth in action. It is power to overcome what stands in the way. It is power which is able to overcome resistance. Kratos means strength or might, the power to rule or control, supreme authority, sovereignty.

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might (ischus)—inherent power or force. A muscular man’s big muscles display his might, even if he doesn’t use them. It is the reserve of strength. Ischus conveys the sense of endowed power or ability. The idea is that it is the active efficacy of the might that is inherent in God, His indwelling strength. He is able!

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As a believer, I know this is the same resurrection power that dwells in the innermost part of me, giving me strength to face every day’s challenges.

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[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power out-flowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers] (Philippians 3:10 Amplified Bible)

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I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].(Philippians 4:13 Amplified Bible)

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This is encouraging to me, because it’s not my power, but the power of the Spirit of Christ Who dwells in the innermost part of me, the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead…Praise His Holy Name…the Lamb has overcome!

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The most powerful evangelism doesn’t take place within the four walls of a church building. It occurs as we share with others in our neighborhood and workplace the good news of what God has done for us individually and for the whole world in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ask God to bring people across your path today who need to hear the good news that God saves and that he loves them. And then ask him for the compassion and courage to share the reason for your hope and to pray for those people. Nothing happens apart from the resurrection power of Jesus. Only Christ working in us by the indwelling Holy Spirit and the Word of God can produce a life that pleases the Lord. So let this prayer be the cry of your heart.

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Heavenly Father, strengthen and equip me with every good thing so that I can do your will. Prepare me for what you’re preparing for me. And open my heart wider to the working of your Spirit so that my life—inside and outside—will honor you. Produce in me, through the power of Jesus Christ, all that is pleasing to you. I rejoice over the resurrection of your precious Son! I won’t forget what he has done for me. You sent him to earth and he was dishonored, but I pray that I will honor him by remembering the cross. I will acknowledge his sacrifice and celebrate his resurrection. Thank you that he burst from the tomb to live inside us. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

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Look Up—meditate on Ephesians 1:19-20 … pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

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Look In—as you meditate on Ephesians 1:19-20 … pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

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Look Out—as you meditate on Ephesians 1:19-20 …pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.

Vito’s and the Sovereignty of God

It’s so amazing how a photo of Vito’s Restaurant, where my parents used to take me in our home town, sparks so many precious memories. My beloved Daddy, Eston Willis, loved Vito. When Daddy came home from WWII, he received a letter written in Italian, from the Italian family he stayed with in Italy while he was recovering from his shrapnel wounds he received while fighting the Germans on Anzio Beachhead. He took the letter to Vito, and he translated it for Daddy and helped him write a letter in response to the Italian family who had been so kind to him. I also found a photo of my mom and dad, Eston and Frances Willis, taken in 1945 when Daddy returned from WWII, met my mom in July at church, they were engaged in October 1945, and married on December 29, 1945. We would always go to Vito’s and order the spaghetti and pizza to go. The spaghetti was in a tall round cardboard cylinder-shaped container and the Parmesan cheese was in a small wax paper bag. So delicious.

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From 1945, to the 1960’s, then suddenly in August of 2001, Vito’s was the location for another life-changing, destiny moment. Our daughter, Tracy, met my husband, Jack, and I at Vito’s for lunch one day. She was working for Publix while commuting to college at USF in Tampa. She was frustrated with the commute, and had decided to drop out. Suddenly, I said, “Why don’t we drive over to Florida Southern and see what they say?” Miraculously, when we arrived at the admissions office at lunchtime, the director of admissions warmly welcomed us, and after talking to Tracy for a few minutes, he arranged all the financial aid needed for Tracy to enroll that very day, for that very semester! It was a life-defining moment, because two years later, when she graduated, it was a friend she knew from Florida Southern who told her about a job opportunity at Auto-Owners Insurance. Tracy has worked for Auto-Owners for over 21 years, and was recently promoted to the position of Regional Vice President. Truly, a God-orchestrated connect-the-dots example of the sovereignty of God.

All these memories just draw my heart once again to the amazing Sovereignty of God. The Scripture verse Esther 4:14 sprang to my heart, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” As I pondered this awesome Truth, I remembered this quote from a Bible Study on Esther, which really resonated with me: “You cannot amputate your history from your destiny, because that is redemption.” As I meditated on this quote, I was thinking about how many times we wished our past, our history, our background was different; yet we believe that God is all-powerful and all-knowing, we believe that He knows our past and our future, and His providence allows our past to be part of our destiny.

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There are parts of our past that we prefer to stay hidden; but God wants to use all of it in His plan to bring restoration and healing to others. We can allow God’s redemption, forgiveness, and grace to give us a future and a hope, because He has amazing plans for us.

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Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “For 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.”

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No matter what our past holds, we can’t change it, but God can and will use it. Our history is what God uses to create our destiny. Our history—the good and the bad—was and is in the hands of a Sovereign God who loves us and has a wonderful plan, hope, and future for each of us.

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We see how God took Esther, a young girl who had suffered the loss of both parents, and brought forth her glorious destiny. Such a tragic story, yet God used her past to make her into what He wanted her to be. He used her past to bring about the purpose He had for her life. 

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From 1 Corinthians 1:26-31: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” 

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God does not comfort us to make us comfortable. He comforts us to make us comforters. We can take whatever difficult things that have happened to us and use them to help someone else who may be going through the same thing. Our experiences and difficult times can either make us bitter or better. How much more abundant our lives will be if we allow them to make us better.

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Genesis 50:20 proclaims, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

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Romans 8:28, the Genesis 50:20 of the New Testament, declares, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”

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Like Esther, we’re overshadowed, underrated, overwrought, under qualified, under attack, overanxious, and over responsible! Our trust in God reverses the detours of adversity into the highways of destiny. Have you ever compared the front and back of a tapestry? The front of a tapestry is art. In the hands of a skilled weaver it displays incredible artistry and fine detail. The world’s best art museums collect the world’s best tapestries and display them there as examples of a rare but beautiful form of art. The back of a tapestry is a mess. A tapestry is made by weaving together different-colored threads, and the images and designs are created by the interplay between the different colors and textures. What is clear on the front is opaque on the back. The back shows something of the image, but it looks more like a child’s attempt than a master’s: it lacks nuance and clarity and detail. Where the front is smooth, the back is covered in knots and loose ends. We are meant to see and admire the front of the tapestry, not the back, and this has often served as an illustration of the truths of Romans 8:28; That God promises to use every single event in our lives to bring about good.  Corrie ten Boom’s poem, “The Master Weaver’s Plan.” “Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow; / And I in foolish pride / Forget He sees the upper / And I the underside.” It serves as an effective illustration for the truth that for now we get to see only the underside of all God is weaving together in this world, while clinging to the promise that someday we will see the upper side and marvel at what He has been doing. My Daddy, Eston Willis, had this poem in his Scofield Bible when he went home to be with Jesus in 1989.

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Just as someday, we will see the beautiful tapestry God has been weaving through our suffering, through the events we never would have chosen, in the same way we will see the tapestry this Master Weaver has been creating through those good deeds. Someday, God will show us His tapestry, we will see how God has woven each of these little deeds together for our good, and His own glory, and we will rejoice.

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While you’re going through life and trying to make sure you fix all the little pieces of your life, understand this: that there is over and in, above and below your life a divine architect ordering every detail. And if you belong to Him and are in the covenant of His love, He is accomplishing His perfect will. And you can rest in that, you can rest in that.

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Heavenly Father, we are so encouraged by the amazing story of Esther. We are so thankful that You are the same God today that You were then. That all things are being worked together by Your power for our good and Your eternal glory for those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. We thank You that we don’t live in a world of random events, but that our steps are ordered by the Lord. That You have a plan that is working out for us in every single detail that fits into Your sovereign purpose. How wonderful to know that and it is inevitably leading us to glory, to heaven. Thank You for this great revelation that takes all the fear and doubt and questioning out of life, and we live and rest in peace in Your sovereign providence. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”

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Look Up—meditate on Ephesians 2:10 …pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

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Look In—as you meditate on Ephesians 2:10 …pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

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Look Out—as you meditate on Ephesians 2:10 …pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.

 

As I pray God’s Word

As I pray God’s Word, fear, doubt, and discouragement leave and His peace renews my heart and mind. As I experience His peace, I recognize when I have been held captive by controlling thoughts. As I stand in agreement with God, saying the same thing God says about my specific thoughts, I see the lies I have believed as wallpaper in my mind. 

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I ask God to help me tear down the lies wallpapering my mind and re-wallpaper my mind with the Truth of God’s Word...to starve the flesh and feed the Spirit. I ask God to help me see situations in my life the way He sees them. The more I see the way God sees, I become saturated with the favor of God, seeing His view of me through the blood of Christ, I become favor-minded, re-wallpapering my mind with Truth...

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When you feel rejected, God says: You are ACCEPTED

"According to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Eph. 1:5-6)

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When you feel abandoned, God says: You are ADOPTED

“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. (Eph. 1:4-5)

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When you feel betrayed, God says: You are BLESSED

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3) 

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When you feel inadequate, God says: You are CHOSEN

“You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he” (Isa. 43:10). “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him.” (Eph. 1:4)

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When you feel afraid, God says: You are REDEEMED

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isa. 43:1).

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When you feel condemned, God says: You are FORGIVEN

 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” (Eph. 1:7-8)

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When you feel forgotten, God says: You are REMEMBERED

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” (Isa. 49:15-16)

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When you feel insecure, God says: You are SECURE

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders” (Deut. 33:12).

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When you feel worthless, God says: You are CALLED

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Pet. 2:9)

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When you feel unloved, God says: You are PRECIOUS and I LOVE YOU

“You are precious and honored in my sight, and . . . I love you” (Isa. 43:4). "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

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When you feel unable or unstable, God says: You are ABLE

“The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!” (Hab. 3:19).

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When you feel it’s impossible, God says: ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE

"Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27)

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When you feel exhausted, God says: I WILL GIVE YOU REST

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

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When you feel you can’t go on, God says: MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT

"But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

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When you feel you don’t know what to do, God says: I WILL DIRECT YOUR STEPS

"Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

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When you feel you can’t go on, God says: YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS

"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)

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When you feel it’s not worth it, God says: IT WILL BE WORTH IT

"We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28)

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When you feel you can’t forgive yourself, God says: I FORGIVE YOU

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

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When you feel you can’t manage, God says: I WILL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEEDS

"God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:19)

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When you feel worried and frustrated, God says: CAST YOUR CARE ON ME

"Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”(1 Peter 5:7)

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When you don’t know what to do, God says: I WILL GIVE YOU WISDOM

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)

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When you feel all alone, God says: I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deut.31:6)

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Lord Jesus, Thank You for this encouraging Truth from Your Word, that in Christ, we are who You say we are. Thank You for the free gift of salvation, that we are justified on the basis of Your finished work on the Cross. Thank You that, right now, we are under the completely sufficient imputed righteousness of Christ. Because we have placed our trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ, we are redeemed by Your precious blood. The threat of failure, judgment, and condemnation has been removed. Knowing that God’s love for us and approval of us will never be determined by our performance is the most encouraging promise to which we cling—what great things You have done! We love You, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

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Look Up—meditate on Ephesians 1 …pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

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Look In—as you meditate on Ephesians 1 …pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

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Look Out—as you meditate on Ephesians 1…pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.