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Yaba Baptist Church: Cup Of Faith Daily Devotional 18 November 2022 – Experiencing Peace When The Storm Is Devastating

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TOPIC: Experiencing Peace When The Storm Is Devastating

BIBLE TEXT: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself is the Rock eternal.” – Isaiah 26:3-4

Today’s text is one of the promises of God in the Old Testament to encourage His children when the wind of life blows against them. This promise was given by God in the darkest period of Israel’s history. Yet, it will be of great help to us even now when we are surrounded by much gloom and depression, and constantly threatened by the three enemies: doubt, fear, and worry. When all is going well it’s easy to read a promise like this in a superficial way, but when disappointment and trial come, these words become precious.

There is no promise in the Bible to suggest that here on earth we shall ever experience freedom from trouble, war, trial, temptation, anguish, loss, and the like, but something far better is promised: it is the promise of perfect peace in the midst of all these. Truthfully, there is no freedom from troubles if there is no inward peace. It’s possible in the fiercest battle for the trusting soul to experience a deep-down calm, an inward peace, and quiet confidence. This type of peace is described as “perfect peace”. It is a condition of freedom from disturbance; it is perfect harmony reigning within us.

The Hebrew word ‘‘shalom’’ has in it the idea of soundness of health. In this sense, to experience perfect peace is to be spiritually healthy and free from discord within our souls. There can be no room for jealousy, envy, uncontrolled temper, selfishness, pride, intolerance, harsh criticism, fear, or anxiety in the soul that is filled with peace; all these things are disturbing factors in our hearts and discordant notes. The peace which God offers and which by His grace we can experience is very practical. It is a great calm which He commands in Mark 4:39. God calls His peace “perfect peace”. It is perfect both in its quality, quantity, and constancy.

Beloved of God, it is important to point our attention to the fact that the promise of perfect peace is not for everyone. It is only for the one “whose mind is steadfast” and the one who “trusts in the Lord”. Both these expressions denote faith but one is a ‘head word’ and the other is a ‘heart word’. With the head we believe that God is the author and giver of peace and that He is able and willing to give it, and with the heart, we trust Him to do it, so receive it by faith. Note that today’s text (Isaiah 26:3) begins with God and ends with God; it begins with “you” and ends with “you”, and the trusting soul goes in between. Perfect peace is the Lord Himself within us. It is not an experience, a doctrine, a code of belief but the Lord Himself! Therefore, to experience perfect peace is to experience Christ. Have you experienced Him?

PROPHETIC PRAYER

I pray for you today!

  1. May you experience perfect peace all around you in the name of Jesus.
  2. The Lord will give you peace both within and without.
  3. He will frustrate those who frustrate you.
  4. He will help you to overcome your struggles and challenges.
  5. You are coming out as a winner.

So shall it be in Jesus name. Amen

Have a pleasant weekend.

CHRIST IS THE ANSWER.

Yours in Christ,
Revd Dr. Bayo Sola Aremu
Church pastor
Yaba Baptist Church
Sabo-Yaba, Lagos

If you just prayed the prayer of salvation online please send your testimonies and prayer request to yababaptist@yahoo.com, ‎+234 1 291 3962, +234 706 469 0938.