Practicing Peace
Who is kept in perfect peace? People who are marked by two things.
A person whose desire rests on you, you preserve in perfect peace, because he trusts in you.
Isaiah 26:3 (CJB)
Preserved in perfect peace.
Those are some of the most comforting words in the entire Bible.
The Hebrew words translated perfect peace are shalom shalom. Repeating a word in Hebrew is common way to emphasize an idea. Shalom shalom points to something like a profound experience of peace, a double portion of peace, the full depth and breadth implied by the concept of shalom, or as most translations have it: perfect peace.
Who is kept in perfect peace? People who are marked by two things:
Their desires rest upon God.
They trust God.
We should not hear that description and think, “Oh, great, I’ve got to earn peace through some sort of religious striving, through another thing to add to my over-busy life.”
Most likely, if you’re reading this, you are already heading in the right direction, already working to rightly order your desires, and already trusting God.
Nevertheless, desire that rests upon God and trusting him—the two inward realities which brings perfect peace—remain challenges for most of us seeking to follow Jesus. It just so happens that in this moment of my life, I am struggling with desiring God and not some specific outcome, with trusting God for my future. Last night, I came home exhausted from the spiritual, mental, and emotional battle.
Maybe you have experienced something similar.
If so, let’s think about the challenges of well-ordered desires and trust.
Desires
Desires seem unruly in my experience. They are harder to contain than a litter of yipping puppies in a playpen. Desires swirl around in our souls and act as an enzyme, unlocking and animating the outer manifestations of our person—attitudes, words, behaviors. Dallas Willard wrote in Life Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 23:
“Human desire is infinite by its nature; it cannot be satisfied. You must take your stand against it because you cannot satisfy it.”
I have found two practices that help me take my stand against insatiable desire.
Seek first the kingdom of God. When God’s kingdom—the expression of his being, his rule and reign—is preeminent in my life, all other desires fall into place naturally.
Practice Ignatian indifference. Saint Ignatius of Loyola, desiring to seek first the kingdom of God, and to not have inordinate attachments to the things of this world, practiced indifference. Indifference does not mean “I don’t care about the things of life.” It means that everything other than pleasing God, finding and pursuing his will, is a matter of indifference. An old worship chorus says it this way: Have thine own way, Lord, have thine own way, you are the potter, I am the clay. That line is a good description of the kind of indifference that brings peaceful freedom.
Trust
Trust is not a big challenge when I understand what is going on, when I can see potential ways forward or possible ways to fix a mess. But when things get too confusing, if the matter at hand begins to feel like a Rubik’s Cube in my fumbling fingers, I sometimes project my state of being onto God. Then trust becomes a struggle—inconsistent and partial.
It helps me in moments of struggle to sit still and hold God before my mind in two ways:
God is wholly other. The scriptures guide us into asking: With whom, then, will you compare God? (Isaiah 40:18). They reveal God’s utter uniqueness: I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God (Isaiah 45:5).
God is closely present. Utter uniqueness does not imply distance. God, who in his nature is fully competent love, is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). This unchanging attribute of God is fully embodied in Jesus, who said:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:28, 29
When I meditate on God’s utter uniqueness and his intimate presence, my confusing struggle contains elements of peace. As I develop well-ordered desires and cultivate trust, that peace grows, leading me step by step to more perfect peace.
I am encouraged by the way The Message translates Isaiah 26:3:
People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.
Don’t judge yourself harshly for the times you lack peace. Just keep at it, and don’t quit. You are on the path to shalom shalom, and it is your destiny.
Solid meditation on what shalom shalom actually means beyond just absence of conflict. The distinction between Ignatian indifference and not caring is crucial most people confuse those two. I've struggled with that exact tension between trusting God when I can see a path forward versus when things feel like a Rubiks Cube, so reading this helped clarify that the struggle itself is part of the process. The Message translation at the end captures somethng essential about not quitting.
Thanks for this. A good word for my heart today.