Morning Devotional

November 20, 2004
"The Promise of Peace"

by Don Emmitte

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In that day, everyone in the land of Judah will sing this song: Our city is now strong! We are surrounded by the walls of God's salvation. Open the gates to all who are righteous; allow the faithful to enter. You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock. He humbles the proud and brings the arrogant city to the dust. Its walls come crashing down! The poor and oppressed trample it underfoot. But for those who are righteous, the path is not steep and rough. You are a God of justice, and you smooth out the road ahead of them. (Isaiah 26:1-7 NLT).

Today we see the third promise of God in our series. God promises us peace. This is a conditional promise. Please allow me to try and explain. The Scripture says that God gives His people peace. You can read that truth throughout the Bible. I hear from Christians nearly everyday who are seeking God’s peace. I have written before that true peace can only come from God because He owns it. He controls real peace. So, how do we have access to that peace?

God has given you a spirit, soul and body. Your spirit, if you are saved, is where Jesus lives. That’s why He can see you as a saint, because your spirit is a new creation. Our body is our flesh, where we experience life through our fives senses (touch, smell, sight, taste, hearing). The third part of our being is called the soul. It’s basically our character, our personality. The soul has three parts, the mind, the emotions and the will. The mind does the thinking, the emotions do the feeling, and the will does the choosing.

In order to enjoy God’s peace, today’s verse tells us we must trust in Him. That is an act of your will. You choose to trust in God. You can choose to trust what you know, or you can choose to trust what you feel. I don’t know about you, but some days I don’t “feel” God’s love. Some days I don’t “feel” God’s forgiveness. Some days I have a hard time “feeling” acceptance by God. When I’m having one of these “feeling” emotional days, I’m less likely to experience the peace of God. It is then that I must choose to place my thoughts on the things of God, on His promises, His character, and my future with Him. That is why Paul said "set your heart on things above" and told us to "think about such things". That's why Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".

Would you set your chooser on the Truth of God’s Word? Would you choose today to trust fully in the promises of God? I’m not asking you to “feel” good about your situation... that will come with time. Feelings are fickle. I’m asking you to believe what you know to be true. God is God; and He is fully in control! Recognizing that truth will give you peace!